culminates

verb

present tense third-person singular of culminate
as in completes
to bring to a triumphant conclusion culminated the school year with a trip to New York

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 culminates Keeping her husband happy yet oblivious—managing his baby fever with staged fake miscarriages—only goes so far when Martha begins suffering an inexplicable illness that culminates in an impossible pregnancy. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 The result is Times Travel, a purportedly immersive journey through the history of Times Square and the New Year’s Eve Ball that culminates in a view of the IRL city. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026 On The Spy Who Loved Me, Grover was tasked with editing the iconic pre-credit sequence that culminates with Moore skiing and then parachuting off a cliff. — Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 Kam Patterson also features in the sketch, which culminates in his, Reiter and Thompson’s characters stealing jerseys from the empty locker room and running away. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026 The parade culminates with an interactive story time from West Suburban Irish Board member Kent Schielke. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 In most instances, the evening culminates with a performance by the awardee. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026 Now, this evolution culminates in the camera… A sacred spectacle that subtly supersedes the spiritual, where no other authority offers anything worth believing in but themselves. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026 The long lineup of contests includes yodeling, stein holding, beer belly, costume and culminates each day in the best chicken dancer competition. — Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culminates
  1. completes
  2. finishes
  3. concludes
  4. climaxes
Verb
  • This milestone completes an assessment phase that began in December 2025, when developers first submitted environmental documentation alongside a request for limited early site works.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • For more instant results, salicylic acid completes the trio by exfoliating away dead surface cells and pore-clogging buildup, helping refine the look of large pores standing between you and that aforementioned glassy glow.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of completes
Verb
  • Metea finishes the regular season with games against DeKalb (1-5) and Kaneland (5-1), while Waubonsie closes against Naperville Central (3-3) and Lockport (3-3).
    — Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Power Cleaner performs a more intensive scan than the Quick Optimizer, with options to run optimizations automatically when the scan finishes and to shut down the system after optimization completes.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of finishes
Verb
  • The book somewhat provocatively concludes after 1976 with a penultimate chapter on protest in the art world and an ultimate chapter on horizons for the future, along with a smart sharp epilogue.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The video concludes with André and his securtiy walking away from Hanks and his posse.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of concludes
Verb
  • In Lloyd’s production, the action climaxes with Benedick and Beatrice in an encounter that nods to Dirty Dancing.
    — Zing Tsjeng, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The film climaxes with a triumphant visit by the musicians, some in their 90s, to New York’s Carnegie Hall.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Definition of climaxes

Browse Nearby Words

culminated
culminates
culminating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Culminates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culminates. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All