as in finishing
to bring to a triumphant conclusion
culminated the school year with a trip to New York
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in crowning
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of culminating
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 3 Jan. 2025
The film blends elements of Indian mythology with futuristic technology, culminating in epic battles that span both physical and spiritual realms.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Dec. 2024
The Assad family had dominated the country for half a century, culminating in a dozen years of civil war.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
Boettcher’s effort earned praise from teammates and coaches, culminating in earning the Burlsworth Award, given to the most outstanding college football player who started as a walk-on.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
But Israel has drifted far from this vision, culminating in its current government’s outspoken goal of annexing the West Bank, while degrading the rights of Arab Israelis.
—Ben Krull, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
In 1993, Billings, Montana endured a rash of white supremacist activity culminating in a December attack on a Jewish home, where a brick was thrown through a window with a menorah in it.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
In her scenario, a singular event sets off a catastrophic chain reaction, culminating in global annihilation.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
His rejection led to widespread protests by athletes against discrimination, culminating with African American athletes’ raising their fists on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC News, 28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Thirty new holes have been created specifically to challenge golf’s best, each culminating in a real-world green area that swivels and oscillates to set up distinct surfaces.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 3 Jan. 2025
The film blends elements of Indian mythology with futuristic technology, culminating in epic battles that span both physical and spiritual realms.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Dec. 2024
The Assad family had dominated the country for half a century, culminating in a dozen years of civil war.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
Boettcher’s effort earned praise from teammates and coaches, culminating in earning the Burlsworth Award, given to the most outstanding college football player who started as a walk-on.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
But Israel has drifted far from this vision, culminating in its current government’s outspoken goal of annexing the West Bank, while degrading the rights of Arab Israelis.
—Ben Krull, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
In 1993, Billings, Montana endured a rash of white supremacist activity culminating in a December attack on a Jewish home, where a brick was thrown through a window with a menorah in it.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
In her scenario, a singular event sets off a catastrophic chain reaction, culminating in global annihilation.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
His rejection led to widespread protests by athletes against discrimination, culminating with African American athletes’ raising their fists on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC News, 28 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culminating
Verb
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The Olympic gold-medalist Alpine skier returned to the podium over the weekend, finishing in second place in a World Cup super-G race on Sunday.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Most of the goals drop-off comes from a nosedive in finishing — the Jets have created more chances from prime real estate since the 4 Nations break than almost any other team.—
Murat Ates,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Stop One: Phuket Stay Here: Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas set the stage for some of this season’s most climactic scenes.—
Ashlee Marie Preston,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Serra details the ritualized battles, from the wounding of bulls by picadors to the matador’s climactic kill, and observes Roca being dressed in his elaborate costumes by a skilled associate.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Former police chief Joe Chacon, who served in the role from 2021 to 2023, nixed a plan to do so after concluding that the sidewalks were too narrow and could not safely contain the swarms of people that flock to the area on weekends.—
Bianca Moreno-Paz,
Austin American-Statesman,
2 Jan. 2025
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Resistant to sacrifice, the country was concluding that intelligence, integrity and mastery of the issues were not enough for presidential success.—
Jonathan Alter,
TIME,
29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The fallout Bryant took a fateful step at the end of a game late in the 2013 season, his Achilles tendon rupturing in his left leg.—
Dan Woike,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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Anna Werner looks back at a fateful string of shark encounters a hundred years ago that stirred the public imagination.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Spielberg deftly mixes in real-life post-9/11 anxiety to this end-of-the-world story to create something that feels legitimately apocalyptic.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
-
Villarreal: Inherent to this apocalyptic event is this idea of starting over, starting fresh and trying to correct some of the mistakes or errors of the past.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culminating. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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