culminate

verb

cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt 

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.”

Synonyms

• cap (off)
• climax
• crown

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

Their synergy and captivating performances quickly elevated them to one of NXT's most celebrated tag teams, culminating in a reign as NXT Tag Team Champions. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025

The route covers a total distance of 26.2 miles, before culminating at the iconic finish line on Boylston Street in Boston. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025

Thousands of fans typically show up week to week to attend the live GameDay telecasts, which culminate with Corso’s pick at the end of each episode, which always generates a big reaction from the crowd. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025

The dream of Marvel’s deal with Netflix was one that had fans in awe: Four separate live action shows starring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, to culminate in a final, fifth show that would unite them as the street-level super-team, the Defenders. —Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for culminate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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Kids Definition

culminate

verb

cul·​mi·​nate ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt 

culminated; culminating

: to reach the highest point

culmination

ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən

noun