as in finishing
to bring to a triumphant conclusion
the Olympic Games were crowned by spectacular closing ceremonies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in culminating
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crowning
Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
The show is the crowning moment in a process that unfolded for more than two decades, spearheaded most recently by Michigan Athletics chief operating officer Rob Rademacher — and ultimately green-lit after one crucial logistical trial.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Nish Kumar and Mark Watson deliver a surprisingly catchy little ditty, but the real crowning moment comes when Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, and Sally Phillips take the stage.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Civil contributes his own piano playing too — notably a Bach hymn that serves as the story’s crowning moment of failure as triumph.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
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, 4 Mar. 2016
Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2025
For everything Final Fantasy Tactics does well, narrative is the game’s crowning achievement, and the thing that’s kept it talked about for decades.
—Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
America’s Got Talent just crossed another major milestone, crowning its 20th winner during Wednesday’s two-hour season finale — but which lucky act just got $1 million added to their bank account?
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
The media is already crowning him the 2025 World Driver’s Champion (WDC).
—Rob Reed, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Among Arison’s crowning achievements as owner was orchestrating the hiring of Riley prior to the 1995-96 season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Tortured Poets is almost her crowning artistic achievement, containing the most complex and unguarded—and gorgeous—songs of her career.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
During the past two decades, I’ve been tasked in the newsroom with also writing the Land of Oz obituary tributes as the Munchkins passed away throughout the years, crowning me, by default, as another Munchkin coroner of sorts.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
There was some dissent at the festival about crowning lemonade the king.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
Critics hailed Born to Run as a crowning achievement, something both sui generis and revitalizing.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
The show is the crowning moment in a process that unfolded for more than two decades, spearheaded most recently by Michigan Athletics chief operating officer Rob Rademacher — and ultimately green-lit after one crucial logistical trial.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Nish Kumar and Mark Watson deliver a surprisingly catchy little ditty, but the real crowning moment comes when Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, and Sally Phillips take the stage.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Civil contributes his own piano playing too — notably a Bach hymn that serves as the story’s crowning moment of failure as triumph.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
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, 4 Mar. 2016
Adjective
The fattest and floofiest bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park are competing as part of the popular Fat Bear Week, an annual head-to-head competition aimed at crowning a champion brown bear.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2025
For everything Final Fantasy Tactics does well, narrative is the game’s crowning achievement, and the thing that’s kept it talked about for decades.
—Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
America’s Got Talent just crossed another major milestone, crowning its 20th winner during Wednesday’s two-hour season finale — but which lucky act just got $1 million added to their bank account?
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
The media is already crowning him the 2025 World Driver’s Champion (WDC).
—Rob Reed, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Among Arison’s crowning achievements as owner was orchestrating the hiring of Riley prior to the 1995-96 season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Tortured Poets is almost her crowning artistic achievement, containing the most complex and unguarded—and gorgeous—songs of her career.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
During the past two decades, I’ve been tasked in the newsroom with also writing the Land of Oz obituary tributes as the Munchkins passed away throughout the years, crowning me, by default, as another Munchkin coroner of sorts.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
There was some dissent at the festival about crowning lemonade the king.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crowning
Verb
-
From frequent relocations to a carousel of careers (culminating in a stint in Hot Springs), his choices left indelible marks on those closest to him, including strained relationships and tangled finances.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
-
There’s an instinctual stitching that binds its many scenes together that build to a heartwrenching ending, culminating in neither a whimper nor a bang but a welcome sigh of relief.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To watch Lipe-Smith’s Caroline cuddle in bed watching TV on her iPad, or bopping around to JoJo Siwa, or pensively finishing a Popsicle while sitting beside her grandmother at a museum, is to have the sheer malevolence of our current administration and its adherents thrown into sharp relief.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
-
His specific traits, such as leadership and tackling, are difficult to measure but fit exactly what the Rams needed this offseason as a finishing piece to their front seven.—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When Punch’s second act at last reaches the climactic series of encounters between Jacob, David, and Joan — mediated by Nicola (Camila Canó-Flaviá), a restorative-justice worker — the often bouncy, pulsing play ends up finding its greatest strength in stillness.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Fire and Ash picks up as Jake and Neytiri mourn their late son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), who died during The Way of Water's climactic battle.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Weaver was a gunslinger throughout the contest, completing 38 of 51 passes but suffered a pair of second-half interceptions.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
-
After completing the proof of concept, NASA transferred all the data to the commercial sector via NASA’s Technology Transfer Program.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Connections made via apical synapses seemed to be strengthened by movement information more than those made via basal synapses.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the opposite was happening in the apical dendrites: The difference in their response to unexpected stimuli increased over time.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Nov. 2021
Adjective
-
Back treatments address muscle tension while clearing meridian blockages.—
Pooja Shah,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crowning. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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