as in finishing
to bring to a triumphant conclusion
culminated the school year with a trip to New York
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in crowning
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 culminating
Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Singh previously held several leadership roles at Unisys, a global technology solutions company, culminating with his position as CFO.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The rest of the clip features a montage of road trip antics and coming-of-age escapades, all of it culminating at a Green Day show.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Tamra was awful to Gretchen back then, culminating in the Naked Wasted Party, which was one of the cruelest things to ever happen on Housewives.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Israeli strikes severely weakened Hezbollah – culminating in the assassination of its revered leader, Hassan Nasrallah – and significantly curtailed the group’s domestic clout.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
But over the past five seasons, the number of transfers from ‘the 14’ to ‘the six’ has gone up, culminating in 11 so far in 2025-26, with the possibility of more when trading resumes in January.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Gaza has cast a long shadow over the Venice Film Festival this year, starting with some uncomfortable questions about the conflict for this year’s jury and culminating in a march that was ultimately turned away from the festival’s Ground Zero.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
The findings suggest that the path to belief is often deeply social, beginning with emotional disruption and culminating in collective action.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
In 2014, Silverstein brought her expertise to Coach as senior vice president of global customer experience, expanding her scope over the years across marketing, digital, sustainability, and creative — culminating in her recent promotion to CMO.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Singh previously held several leadership roles at Unisys, a global technology solutions company, culminating with his position as CFO.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The rest of the clip features a montage of road trip antics and coming-of-age escapades, all of it culminating at a Green Day show.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Tamra was awful to Gretchen back then, culminating in the Naked Wasted Party, which was one of the cruelest things to ever happen on Housewives.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Israeli strikes severely weakened Hezbollah – culminating in the assassination of its revered leader, Hassan Nasrallah – and significantly curtailed the group’s domestic clout.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
But over the past five seasons, the number of transfers from ‘the 14’ to ‘the six’ has gone up, culminating in 11 so far in 2025-26, with the possibility of more when trading resumes in January.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Gaza has cast a long shadow over the Venice Film Festival this year, starting with some uncomfortable questions about the conflict for this year’s jury and culminating in a march that was ultimately turned away from the festival’s Ground Zero.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
The findings suggest that the path to belief is often deeply social, beginning with emotional disruption and culminating in collective action.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culminating
Verb
-
All in all, the Ferrand II collaboration is a standout example of what happens when blending and finishing all hit their mark.—
Andy Vasoyan,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Or at least that was the easy answer in 2021 and 2022, when Georgia was finishing four years of ranking in the top two nationally in run defense.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The victory was a crowning moment in her rapid ascent since joining the main roster in May 2025.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
-
For their contributions, ACM awarded Hellman, 70, and Diffie, 71, the crowning achievement in the field.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Mar. 2016
Verb
-
Beck finished the game completing 22 of 24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to CJ Daniels.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Harrell’s improvement After a slow start against the Mountaineers in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, tossing an interception and completing just 54% of his passes, Harrell showed slight improvements against the Tar Heels’ defense.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Gaga appeared early in the show to pick up what would likely have been one of the climactic awards, Artist of the Year, which clearly had been bumped up to allow for her attendance.—
William Earl,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
-
On occasion, just such a feeling is achieved, especially in the climactic runway sequence, when a rainstorm whips up and epiphanies are experienced.—
Richard Lawson,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
All the way back in 1928, researchers published a study concluding that coffee had a diuretic effect, making participants urinate more.—
Fran Kritz,
Health,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The Poway concert is the beginning of their fall tour that will take the couple throughout California and up the West Coast, concluding in Vancouver, Washington.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chaining together standard and heavy blows with acrobatic spins, slips, and dives is fluid and intuitive — leaving combat feeling like an ever-climaxing dance of death that often ends with insta-kill execution moves.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Santor’s 2020 production pivot proved fateful for the islands, whose national airline has since inaugurated a nonstop route from LAX.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Miller could be seen bending over and grimacing after the fateful pitch, in an obvious degree of pain.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Back treatments address muscle tension while clearing meridian blockages.—
Pooja Shah,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culminating. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share