summit 1 of 2

summit

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun summit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of summit are acme, apex, climax, culmination, peak, and pinnacle. While all these words mean "the highest point attained or attainable," summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

When could acme be used to replace summit?

The words acme and summit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

When might apex be a better fit than summit?

In some situations, the words apex and summit are roughly equivalent. However, apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

When can climax be used instead of summit?

While in some cases nearly identical to summit, climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

When would culmination be a good substitute for summit?

Although the words culmination and summit have much in common, culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

When is it sensible to use peak instead of summit?

While the synonyms peak and summit are close in meaning, peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

Where would pinnacle be a reasonable alternative to summit?

The synonyms pinnacle and summit are sometimes interchangeable, but pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

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 summit
Noun
For those who want to get close to the summit without committing to a month of climbing, there are flightseeing companies like Denali Air. Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 21 May 2025 But the most popular hiking route leads visitors all the way to the summit. Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 2025
Verb
Macron Trump meeting peace talks Russia Poland Ukraine summit rare earths Russia-Ukraine war Volodymyr Zelensky Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. Laura Kelly, The Hill, 16 Feb. 2025 His first-person stories include supersonic flights in eight separate aircraft pulling up to 9 Gs and flying to 84,000 ft; driving a Bugatti at 253 mph and Indy cars at 200 mph; expeditions to the North and South Poles; summiting the Matterhorn and 23,000-ft. Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for summit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summit
Noun
  • Leitch was engaged by Rangers on two separate occasions but the red-brick facade on the Main Stand was the pinnacle.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 May 2025
  • Major League Baseball is the pinnacle of the sport.
    Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • This frame, the cut ascends one space from No. 3 to No. 2.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • And importantly, the robot can also turn to either side, adopt a skipping gait, and even ascend small steps.
    Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • But Italian beef, the quintessential Chicago sandwich, remains at the top of the Buona menu — and its expansion plans.
    Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
  • Aliyah Binford put Ole Miss ahead with a 2-out, solo home run to right-center field in the top of the first — her 12th of the season.
    Ethan Westerman, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • Tracking and Iterating: Use impact reporting to refine and scale programs effectively.
    Raghvendra Tripathi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • Rightly so, because the queue is an attraction unto itself – jaw-dropping, built to scale and packed with details from the films.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • The end of this series, and specifically Game 5, feels like their zenith.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 15 May 2025
  • If dandyism is, at least in part, a kind of showy restraint—being seen on purpose without caring so much about how the spectacle is apprehended by others—this was something like its zenith.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 6 May 2025
Verb
  • The 3-1 deficit proved too much for the Dodgers to surmount — ending a day that had begun with so much optimism around Ohtani’s two-way talents with a dud of a performance and frustrating series loss in Queens.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
  • Hosted by Manu Bennett, the series followed a group of contestants tasked with climbing a treacherous mountain, all while surmounting mental and social challenges.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • For context, during the 2022 inflation crisis, HIMS fell 87.3% from its peak, significantly worse than the S&P 500's 25.4% drop.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • Its superiority was passed like a shibboleth among food connoisseurs: Thighs are juicier, tastier, are almost half the price—preferable in just about every way to the boneless, skinless, flavorless breasts that reign supreme in America.
    Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
  • How can breast cancer support groups help patients and survivors?
    Sam Manzella, Flow Space, 30 Sep. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Summit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summit. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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