culminate
Other forms: culminating; culminated; culminates
The verb culminate is used to describe a high point or a climactic stage in a process. For example, the goal of a Major League baseball team is to have their season culminate in a World Series victory.
The word culminate derives from the Latin word culminatus, the past participle of culminare, which means "to top or crown." Use culminate when you are referring to a crowning moment or a final conclusion: “I want my experiments combining strawberry jam with burnt toast to culminate in a Nobel Prize in Chemistry — or at least a lucrative contract with a major food supplier.”
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end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
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bring to a head or to the highest point
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reach the highest or most decisive point
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type of:
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accomplish, achieve, attain, reach
gain with effort
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accomplish, achieve, attain, reach
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reach the highest altitude or the meridian, of a celestial body
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rise to, or form, a summit“The helmet culminated in a crest”
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type of:
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form
assume a form or shape
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form
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A paragraph of text
Copy citationVocabulary lists containing culminate
In this nonfiction story of America, the authors recount the struggles of key African Americans in the country's march towards the equality and justice promised by the Constitution.
In this collection of twelve essays, the leader of New England's transcendentalist movement shares his philosophical ideas on different aspects of mid-nineteenth-century life. Read the full text here.
French for "Fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras originated as a celebration of spring and evolved into an indulgent period often followed by fasting and sacrifice. It is an opportunity to have some Fun, Food, and Faith.
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