culminate

verb

cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce culminate (audio)
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.”

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 Groupon’s meteoric rise culminated in a $13 billion IPO in 2011 and put Lefkofsky on The Forbes 400 for the first time. Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 The documentary was made in the build-up to John’s retirement from touring with the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which culminated at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in July 2023. Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2024 Ross, who was previously banned from Twitch for unspecified violations, appeared on the stream, inadvertently setting off a chain of events that would culminate in Akademiks’ suspension. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2024 Flashback: Brenner previously founded chocolate emporium Max Brenner, a venture that culminated in a sale to — and non-compete lawsuit with — Israeli food conglomerate Strauss Group. Richard Collings, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for culminate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of culminate was in 1647

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Dictionary Entries Near culminate

Cite this Entry

“Culminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culminate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

culminate

verb
cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce culminate (audio)
culminated; culminating
: to reach the highest point
culmination
ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on culminate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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