summit 1 of 2

summit

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun summit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of summit are acme, apex, climax, culmination, peak, and pinnacle. While all these words mean "the highest point attained or attainable," summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

When could acme be used to replace summit?

The words acme and summit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

When might apex be a better fit than summit?

In some situations, the words apex and summit are roughly equivalent. However, apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

When can climax be used instead of summit?

While in some cases nearly identical to summit, climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

When would culmination be a good substitute for summit?

Although the words culmination and summit have much in common, culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

When is it sensible to use peak instead of summit?

While the synonyms peak and summit are close in meaning, peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

Where would pinnacle be a reasonable alternative to summit?

The synonyms pinnacle and summit are sometimes interchangeable, but pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of summit
Noun
About 300 steps below the final summit, there’s a soul-crushing false summit that marks the beginning of a 68-percent-grade segment. Jamie Siebrase, The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2025 Kilauea began continuously releasing lava from its summit caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday morning after a weeklong pause, the U.S. Geological Survey said. CBS News, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
Debbie Olsen has snorkeled with whale sharks, hiked the Camino de Santiago, and summited several peaks in the Canadian Rockies. Debbie Olsen, AFAR Media, 13 Mar. 2025 Thousands of climbers attempt to summit the roof of Africa each year. Mary Robnett, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for summit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summit
Noun
  • But after 12 people underwent a 34-day hunger strike in 2015, the pinnacle of a yearslong protest by community leaders determined to keep a neighborhood school, the district reversed its decision.
    Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The pinnacle of prompt development entails a type of life cycle formalization akin to a rigorous systems development life cycle (SDLC), often noted as the PDLC (prompt development life cycle).
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • No major-league reliever has made more appearances across the past two seasons than Abreu, who now ascends to a setup role after Ryan Pressly’s departure.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Lhakpa Gelu ascended the peak with supplemental oxygen.
    Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • One lesson from the anti-CAA protests is that change doesn’t always start at the top.
    Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Measuring in at 19 inches by 31 inches, the mirror features baroque ornate details at the top, giving it that retro look, and is built with high-quality glass.
    Amy Schulman, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Domestic Tension is shown as a room reproduced to scale, and though the museum shot far fewer than 65,000 paintballs at its walls, the presence of their yellow residue is chilling.
    Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The trip was later scaled back to just a visit to the space base.
    Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Many Republicans have ended their political careers by fighting with Trump, who is now at the zenith of his political power.
    W. James Antle III, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
  • In President Donald Trump’s idealized framing, the United States was at its zenith in the 1890s, when top hats and shirtwaists were fashionable and typhoid fever often killed more soldiers than combat.
    Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Postal workers are renowned for surmounting odds, but one in North Carolina apparently drew the line at reaching past a snake to deliver the mail.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Without that essential training to help surmount powerful systemic barriers, the kit would have been useless—and in that sense, the job is still woefully unfinished.
    Sheila McClear, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Built almost entirely of wood (including wooden pegs instead of metal nails), the Black Hills chapel features six roofs that gradually rise to a peak.
    Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Inflation stands well below a peak attained in 2022, though price increases register nearly a percentage point higher than the Fed's goal of 2%.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • How can breast cancer support groups help patients and survivors?
    Sam Manzella, Flow Space, 30 Sep. 2024
  • Advertisement Cronin doesn’t feel like a marathoner who has breasted the tape so much as one in the middle of a race.
    Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Summit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summit. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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