as in finishing
to bring to a triumphant conclusion
the Olympic Games were crowned by spectacular closing ceremonies
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as in culminating
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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
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado dropped the ball just short of crowning a 72-yard run with a score in the team's 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday — a play that brought about a heated response from head coach Jonathan Gannon.
—Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The design features my crowning gesture, which is special for me and stands for celebration and connection.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 7 Oct. 2025
Tempest ending explained In the final episode, Ok-seon kidnaps Mun-ju so that her daughter-in-law can bear witness to her life’s crowning achievement.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
In 1978, the Woolly Worm Festival was born, crowning the winning caterpillar as the official forecaster and transforming a local practice into an annual celebration.
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025
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
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
This is how Zurich, often the location of the Diamond League finals each summer, have regularly hosted field events for the global athletics circuit’s crowning meet of the season.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado dropped the ball just short of crowning a 72-yard run with a score in the team's 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday — a play that brought about a heated response from head coach Jonathan Gannon.
—Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The design features my crowning gesture, which is special for me and stands for celebration and connection.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 7 Oct. 2025
Tempest ending explained In the final episode, Ok-seon kidnaps Mun-ju so that her daughter-in-law can bear witness to her life’s crowning achievement.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
In 1978, the Woolly Worm Festival was born, crowning the winning caterpillar as the official forecaster and transforming a local practice into an annual celebration.
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crowning
Verb
-
Think of it as six months of shadow work, self assertion, and courage, now culminating in a fiery climax.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Especially in its final few minutes, culminating in a needle drop that is positively normie.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is fantastic for multitasking and can make the difference between finishing your workload and getting to it next shift.—
Jade Chung-Lee,
PC Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The set comes with three extra-virgin olive oils—one for sizzling, one for frying, and one for finishing—plus a sizzle spray for even coating.—
Jamie Fischer,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Another tells of what happened to Shihirlis, the lovelorn thief played by Kilmer in the 1995 movie, in the aftermath of the first movie’s climactic robbery, and his multiyear quest to reunite with his former girlfriend (who was played by Judd in the original).—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
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Even diligent Webberheads will need to overlook certain gaffes, like a hero who seems to have tied himself up in a climactic moment and a Stygian lair well marked with glowing Exit signs.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Tulsa transfer attempted just nine passes, completing five, for 53 yards.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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Right now, their main focus is on signing the loan for the house, installing the septic system, obtaining the necessary permits and completing the well for water.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 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
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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 13 Oct. 2025.
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