culminate

verb

cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt 

culminated; culminating

intransitive verb

1

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

2

a

: to rise to or form a summit

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

—Frederick Marryat

b

: 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.”

Synonyms

• cap (off)
• climax
• crown

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

Caught in the middle, Stéphanie finds herself increasingly at odds with her fellow officers, culminating in a moving interrogation where the tables are turned and her own bias gets questioned by a superior. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025

Over seven seasons, the crew of 30-somethings — along with Cece (Hannah Simone) and Winston (Lamorne Morris) — shared countless unforgettable moments, culminating in a May 2018 series finale that featured a flash-forward into their future. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 15 May 2025

After an iffy first start in Game 3, culminating with that buzzer-beating game-winner by Reilly Smith, Skinner is back to looking like the goalie who closed out series with aplomb so often last year. —Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 15 May 2025

After early promise, the company ran into financial and then legal difficulties, culminating in a formal contention between Chairman Buckley and the Securities and Exchange Commission. —Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin culminatus, past participle of culminare, from Late Latin, to crown, from Latin culmin-, culmen top — more at hill

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for culminate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

culminate

verb

cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt 

culminated; culminating

: to reach the highest point

culmination

ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən

noun