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

The move follows a series of setbacks for Northern California’s horse racing industry, culminating in the California Authority of Racing Fairs’ decision in December not to apply for racing dates in 2025. —Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 29 Mar. 2025

The massive crowd walked a little over a mile from downtown to the west side of Union Station, culminating in a huge gathering on the lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2025

This flurry of activity culminated in the surprise drop of Days Before Dreamboy, an eight-track EP released on Friday (March 28). —Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2025

Prior to his golden arches stint, Tamotsu spent three decades at Johnson & Johnson, culminating in his role as president of the company’s Japan division. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Mar. 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

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Kids Definition

culminate

verb

cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt 

culminated; culminating

: to reach the highest point

culmination

ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən

noun