climax

1 of 2

noun

cli·max ˈklī-ˌmaks

: a figure of speech in which a series of phrases or sentences is arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness

: the highest point : culmination

the climax of a distinguished career

: the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action (as of a play)

At the novel's climax, the main character finds herself face to face with the thief.

: orgasm

: menopause

: a relatively stable ecological stage or community especially of plants that is achieved through successful adaptation to an environment

especially : the final stage in ecological succession

the tropical rain forest is a climatic climax —

P. W. Richards

climaxless adjective

climax

2 of 2

verb

climaxed; climaxing; climaxes

transitive verb

: to bring to a climax

climaxed his boxing career with a knockout

The protest in May climaxed a series of demonstrations in the nation's capital.

intransitive verb

: to come to a climax

a riot climaxing in the destruction of several houses

The movie climaxes with a fantastic chase scene.

Choose the Right Synonym for climax

summit, peak, pinnacle, climax, apex, acme, culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable.

summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

Example Sentences

Noun The movie's climax is a fantastic chase scene. At the novel's climax, the main character finds herself face to face with the thief. the climax of her career The protest in May was the climax of a series of demonstrations in the nation's capital. Verb The movie climaxes with a fantastic chase scene. The May protest climaxed a series of demonstrations in the nation's capital. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Furthermore, it’s now presented halfway through the plot and unaccountably staged, divorced from the action on a nearly bare stage as if at the climax of a Michael Ball concert. —

David Benedict, Variety, 26 May 2023 The climax of their visit was dinner at Nikko Garden. —

David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 14 May 2023 The climax of the Nevarro portion of the episode is a reminder that the Mandalorians remain a scattered and fractured people. —

Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023 Stirring climaxes filled the room, but never got crude. —

Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 11 Mar. 2023 The State of the War Bakhmut: After months of epic struggle, the fight over the Ukrainian city had seemed to be reaching a climax, with Russian forces close to encircling the city. —

Carlotta Gall Daniel Berehulak, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023 While the sequel mainly sticks to the original's successful formula, the second (and better) Apollo/Rocky fight is a fantastic, white-knuckle climax. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2023 But it's only partially included, not the climax of the movie (or even a major moment), and Channing Tatum isn't dancing in it. —

Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2023 The grand climax of the season each year is the world championships, typically run in the northern hemisphere’s frigid March, the thoroughbred elites fighting cold winds and floundering through mud, slush, and frozen grass. —

Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 2 Feb. 2023

Verb

The 15-minute crime spree in 2020 climaxed with the death of Beaty, 38, near his downtown residence. —

Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 26 May 2023 Their most recent superhero collaboration, Avengers: Endgame, climaxed with one of the MCU's most emotional scenes as Black Widow and Hawkeye try to sacrifice themselves to retrieve the Soul Stone. —

Christian Holub, EW.com, 10 May 2023 Each night climaxed with a multicourse exotic meal, often made from specimens collected by the members themselves. —

David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2023 Saturday’s show climaxed with Nelson emerging more than three hours into the 220-minute proceedings to join forces with George Strait, Neil Young and Snoop Dogg, symbolically representing how welcome Willie has been in the worlds of country, rock and cannabis, respectively. —

Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2023 Videos of the incident quickly circulated online, showing the massive dragon wholly engulfed in flames -- an uncharacteristically chaotic ending for the show that usually climaxes with Mickey Mouse casting a spell to defeat Maleficent. —

Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2023 In popular culture, the stride of pride always climaxes during the coffee run. —

Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2023 Females are said to orgasm, which was once thought a rarity in the animal kingdom, though evidence now supports the theory that female chimps, orangutans, rhesus monkeys, stumptail and Japanese macaques, and even tiny tamarins also experience pleasure and possibly climax. —

Rebecca Giggs, The Atlantic, 6 May 2022 The narrative is built to climax in 1999, with a convoluted intra-family story line that dominated W.W.F. programming near the peak of its popularity. —

Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'climax.' 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

Noun and Verb

Late Latin, from Greek klimax, literally, ladder, from klinein to lean

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1807, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of climax was circa 1538

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Climax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climax. Accessed 10 Jun. 2023.

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Kids Definition

climax

1 of 2 noun

cli·max ˈklī-ˌmaks

: the highest point

the storm had reached its climax

: the point of highest dramatic interest or a major turning point in the action (as of a play)

: orgasm

: a relatively stable ecological stage or community especially when it is the final one in a series of ecological stages or communities

climax

2 of 2 verb

: to come or bring to a climax

Etymology

Noun

from Latin climax "arrangement of words or phrases in increasing forcefulness," from Greek klimax "ladder," from klinein "to lean, recline" — related to climate, clinic