culminate

verb

ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce culminate (audio)
Definition of culminatenext
as in to complete
to bring to a triumphant conclusion culminated the school year with a trip to New York

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 culminate Lollapalooza Chicago 2026 kicked off Thursday with a number of acts taking the stage, culminating with headliners Lorde and John Summit. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 31 July 2026 Part 1 is expected to culminate with the abduction itself, leaving the rescue campaign and the climactic battle for Part 2. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026 Barnes, who was appointed the chief in late 2024, said in a separate statement released through his attorney that Wilson requested his resignation during a meeting on Wednesday, which culminated in him deciding to voluntarily step down. — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 30 July 2026 The live entertainment accelerator started in 2022 as a 10-week experiment and has since grown into a six-month intensive program with weekly guest speakers from Live Nation, which culminates in the annual block party. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for culminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culminate
  1. complete
  2. finish
  3. conclude
  4. crown
  5. climax
Verb
  • The freshman four-year graduation rate is the percentage of undergraduate students who entered the university as freshmen and completed their bachelor’s degree within four years.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
  • Ivory Coast’s 20-year-old winger Bazoumana Toure started his nation’s opening game against Ecuador and then completed a £42million ($56m) move to Newcastle United the following week.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of complete
Verb
  • The San Diego Wave’s inability to finish any of their numerous scoring chances Sunday contributed to a 2-0 defeat on a hot and humid afternoon in Mission Valley.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2026
  • The Nuggets have not finished a season in the second apron since its creation.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
Definition of finish
Verb
  • The ceremony concluded with attendees placing flowers and candles on a table with photos of the two men who were killed.
    — Noah Vinsky July 25, Charlotte Observer, 26 July 2026
  • The companies concluded that the licensed technologies are expected to support next-generation applications, including energy and grid infrastructure, energy storage, industrial electrification, automotive and other high-power systems.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026
Definition of conclude
Verb
  • Mister and Miss Heiva 2026, Elijah Tiguelo, 24, and Ivana Moi, 18, also will be crowned that evening.
    — Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2026
  • On March 19, 1452, Frederick became the last emperor to be crowned in Rome by a pope.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
Definition of crown
Verb
  • Held in Las Vegas, the five-bout main card climaxed with the premature faceoff between McGregor and Holloway, who last fought each other in 2013.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 July 2026
  • Only one in five women climax through internal stimulation alone, Greenwald said.
    — Melanie Thernstrom, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of climax

Browse Nearby Words

culls
culminate
culminated
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Culminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culminate. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on culminate

Nglish: Translation of culminate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of spindrift

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All