summit

1 of 2

noun

sum·​mit ˈsə-mət How to pronounce summit (audio)
1
: top, apex
especially : the highest point : peak
2
: the topmost level attainable
the summit of human fame
3
a
: the highest level of officials
especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government
b
: a conference of highest-level officials (such as heads of government)
an economic summit

summit

2 of 2

verb

summited; summiting; summits

intransitive verb

1
: to participate in a summit conference
2
: to climb to the summit
summited on May 29
Choose the Right Synonym for summit

summit, peak, pinnacle, climax, apex, acme, culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable.

summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

Examples of summit in a Sentence

Noun The mountain range has summits over 10,000 feet high. The climbers failed to reach the summit. Leaders of several nations attended the economic summit. A summit on global warming was held that year.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Those are the two tallies that many would assume that Parton would not only appear on with her latest effort, but perhaps even come close to the summit. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 Biden attended a United Nations climate summit in Egypt in North Africa in 2022. Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
Florine also mentioned the popular via ferrata as an option—the European system for protecting mountaintops with high exposure so that hikers can more safely summit. Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 30 July 2024 No, summiting Everest — a snowy, icy endeavor that has claimed countless lives and left tons of trash behind — doesn’t have a ton in common with Olympic sport climbing. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for summit 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English somete, from Anglo-French sumet, diminutive of sum top, from Latin summum, neuter of summus highest — more at sum

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of summit was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near summit

Cite this Entry

“Summit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summit. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

summit

noun
sum·​mit
ˈsəm-ət
1
: top entry 1 sense 1a, apex
especially : the highest point (as of a mountain)
2
: the topmost level that can be reached
3
a
: the highest level of officials
especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government
b
: a conference of the highest-level officials (as heads of government)

More from Merriam-Webster on summit

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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