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 New details emerged Friday in an East Bay murder-suicide a day earlier that culminated in an hours-long shutdown of Interstate 580 in San Leandro. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 The team will work out 15 times over six weeks, culminating with the April 20 Spring Game at Snapdragon Stadium. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 Groups representing defendants in the lawsuits that culminated in the Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children have filed an application asking the court to rehear the case, according to online records from the Alabama appellate courts. Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 The alleged crime of a man possibly holding a small handgun while walking on the Venetian Causeway was what led to a domino of events that culminated in Stringer shooting Bolanos during a scuffle. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 In 2014, the Free Press partnered with Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers to publish the first official 10 Best New Restaurants list, which ranked the region’s top dining establishments in order of excellence, culminating with its Restaurant of the Year. Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 Rarely have intraparty battles between Republicans in Texas been as bitter, protracted and consequential as the primary contests culminating in Election Day on Tuesday. J. David Goodman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 My company’s extensive psychometric testing and research culminated in our Global Leadership Assessment Practice, which defines core traits of future-fit leaders. Dr. Tracy Cocivera, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The city has announced plans for a major memorial to its history as the nation’s second-largest market in the pre-Civil War trade in enslaved people, culminating years of frustrated efforts to recognize a difficult past. Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024

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 18 Mar. 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

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