culminate

verb

cul·mi·nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt

culminated; culminating

Synonyms of culminate next

intransitive verb

of a celestial body : to reach its highest altitude

During the summer solstice, the sun culminates over the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere.

also : to be directly overhead

: to rise to or form a summit

… enormous waves culminated and fell with the report of thunder.—

Frederick Marryat

: to reach the highest or a climactic or decisive point

Her long acting career culminated when she won the Oscar.

transitive verb

: to bring to a head or to the highest point

The contract culminated weeks of negotiations.

Did you know?

When a star or other heavenly body culminates, it reaches its highest point above the horizon from the vantage point of an observer on the ground. Culminate was drawn from Medieval Latin culminare, meaning "to crown," specifically for this astronomical application. Its ultimate root is Latin culmen, meaning "top." Today, the word’s typical context is less lofty: it can mean “to reach a climactic point,” as in “a long career culminating in a prestigious award,” but it can also simply mean "to reach the end of something,” as in “a sentence culminating in a period.”

Examples of culminate in a Sentence

A bitter feud culminated months of tension. culminated the school year with a trip to New York

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

On the township’s Facebook page, multiple posts became full of comments about Smith, culminating in her Jan. 26 resignation. —

Mike Stunson, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2025 The Bills took advantage of the Chiefs turnover, marching down the field on a masterful 10-play, 72-yard drive, culminating in a James Cook 6-yard touchdown run to give the Bills a 10-7 lead with 10:25 to go in the second quarter. —

Kevin Dotson, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025 The two volleyball rivals get into a fight, culminating in Deb punching Tiff in the face, getting suspended and kicked off the team, and missing out on her scholarship to FSU. —

Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025 Claxton's contract is descending in scale, which means he's only owed an average of about $23 million over the next three seasons, culminating in him being owed less than $21 million in 2027-28. —

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for culminate