summit

1 of 2

noun

sum·​mit ˈsə-mət 

1

: top, apex

especially : the highest point : peak

2

: the topmost level attainable

the summit of human fame

3

a

: the highest level of officials

especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government

b

: a conference of highest-level officials (such as heads of government)

an economic summit

summit

2 of 2

verb

summited; summiting; summits

intransitive verb

1

: to participate in a summit conference

2

: to climb to the summit

summited on May 29

Synonyms of summit

Noun

• pinnacle
• top
• zenith
• peak
• height
• culmination
• apex

Choose the Right Synonym for summit

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

Examples of summit in a Sentence

Noun

The mountain range has summits over 10,000 feet high.

The climbers failed to reach the summit.

Leaders of several nations attended the economic summit.

A summit on global warming was held that year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The agreement at a summit hosted in Ghana by President John Dramani Mahama and attended by the presidents of Liberia, Namibia, and Senegal comes on the heels of a UN declaration that the slave trade was a crime against humanity. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 22 June 2026

In his first trade interview in his new role, Zameczkowski sat down with The Hollywood Reporter on the sidelines of APOS, Asia’s leading media and entertainment summit, to give an overview of Disney’s current strategy in the streaming sector’s most diverse but fastest-growing major region. —Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026

Verb

The push to resolve the war will dominate discussions at the G7 leaders summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, starting Tuesday, with further details of the memorandum of understanding expected to be released later this week. —Spencer Kimball,hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 June 2026

Garcia, executive director with the Windy City Bird Lab, summits Chicago's skyscrapers to lay the groundwork for a bird-monitoring system. —Noel Brennan, CBS News, 10 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English somete, from Anglo-French sumet, diminutive of sum top, from Latin summum, neuter of summus highest — more at sum

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing summit

• pre-summit

Rhymes for summit

• plummet

Kids Definition

summit

noun

sum·​mit

ˈsəm-ət

1

: top entry 1 sense 1a, apex

especially : the highest point (as of a mountain)

2

: the topmost level that can be reached

3

a

: the highest level of officials

especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government

b

: a conference of the highest-level officials (as heads of government)