as in crowning
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as in finishing
to bring to a triumphant conclusion
culminated the school year with a trip to New York
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Recent Examples of culminating
Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Rauschenberg was a man for the hour, along with Jasper Johns, in a progression culminating in Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup cans and Brillo boxes.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
Months before Shia LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans, the actor’s increasingly erratic behavior sparked concern on the set of his upcoming movie, three production sources say, culminating in the actor running across a live bullpen with a charging bull during an improvised scene.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2026
Yet the Georgia congresswoman began to publicly split with the president and leaders of her party in 2025, culminating in a falling out with the president in the last few months of the year.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
His rise to prominence in France was fueled not only by incendiary rhetoric but also by the tactical and strategic use of intimidation, provocation, and violence, culminating in the role Morès played as the dark soul of the Dreyfus affair.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that charts the Trueba family through multiple generations, spanning violent social change and culminating in a crisis that hurls a tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
According to his book, Dalio says the transition to Stage 6 could entail a series of trade wars, technology wars, geopolitical wars, and capital wars, all of which have the possibility of culminating in a military conflict once those conflicts materialize as an existential threat for countries.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Without spoken language to narrate, relying only on vocal reactions, noises, and music to mark atmospheres and culminating moments, we were challenged from pre-production to find more graphic narrative solutions, starting with the storyboards, character design and background art.
—Kevin Giraud, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
Friday’s short track competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics was defined by dramatic moments, culminating in a historic breakthrough.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Rauschenberg was a man for the hour, along with Jasper Johns, in a progression culminating in Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup cans and Brillo boxes.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
Months before Shia LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans, the actor’s increasingly erratic behavior sparked concern on the set of his upcoming movie, three production sources say, culminating in the actor running across a live bullpen with a charging bull during an improvised scene.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2026
Yet the Georgia congresswoman began to publicly split with the president and leaders of her party in 2025, culminating in a falling out with the president in the last few months of the year.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
His rise to prominence in France was fueled not only by incendiary rhetoric but also by the tactical and strategic use of intimidation, provocation, and violence, culminating in the role Morès played as the dark soul of the Dreyfus affair.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that charts the Trueba family through multiple generations, spanning violent social change and culminating in a crisis that hurls a tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
According to his book, Dalio says the transition to Stage 6 could entail a series of trade wars, technology wars, geopolitical wars, and capital wars, all of which have the possibility of culminating in a military conflict once those conflicts materialize as an existential threat for countries.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Without spoken language to narrate, relying only on vocal reactions, noises, and music to mark atmospheres and culminating moments, we were challenged from pre-production to find more graphic narrative solutions, starting with the storyboards, character design and background art.
—Kevin Giraud, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culminating
Adjective
-
Last March, some months after that moment on the beach, Caravaggio 2025, the crowning exhibition of the Jubilee, opened at Palazzo Barberini.—
Nicole Krauss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Biles also watched Ilia Malinin in person last night, in what was expected to be a crowning moment for the American in the men's singles figure skating final.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Petrillo finally got one past him about midway through the second by finishing off a puck at the backdoor post, shortly before Beck tipped in a shot from the point on the power play.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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There have been precious few setbacks for the fledgling talent, but a significant disappointment was finishing seventh at the 2024 junior world championships road race in Zürich, frozen by cold.—
Andy McGrath,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The climactic scene, which involves Linda battling the ocean, had to be shot fairly early on before the water off Montauk, where the film is set and was shot, became too cold.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
This climactic collision is woven from several minor ethical tugs-of-war that rest on each character exhibiting both selfishness and altruism in various scenes, until their complicated humanity is placed under a harsh spotlight.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Space Shuttle Discovery retired after completing 39 missions.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Fox and Wembanyama scored inside to start the fourth quarter, completing a 12-0 run as San Antonio eventually pushed the lead to 28.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The lower court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and the First Amendment, concluding that HR 1069 is overbroad and unconstitutional.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Texas State softball played six games in the River State Classic, winning four games between a bookend of losses, concluding Sunday with a 3-2 defeat in 10 innings to future Pac-12 opponent Colorado State.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Almost 25 years after Bischoff’s fateful ND visit, coaches are still using Visio, even if Pro Quick Draw encourages newcomers to pick up PowerPoint, given it now offers many of the same tools and likely promises more staying power.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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His productivity against the team that chased him during the summer, before that fateful conversation with Arsenal, has been a highlight of a season of complex adaptation.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The film approaches its subject from three overlapping points of view, all climaxing in what appears to be the destruction of a major American city.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
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At one point, the script prominently featured Hobbs, with the story climaxing in the destruction of Rio.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
24 Nov. 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 1 Mar. 2026.
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