culminate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
culminates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
culminated,
past participle, past
-
culminating
present participle
-
to reach the highest point, summit, or highest development (usually followed by in).
-
to end or arrive at a final stage (usually followed by in).
The argument culminated in a fistfight.
-
to rise to or form an apex; terminate (usually followed by in).
The tower culminates in a tall spire.
-
Astronomy. (of a celestial body) to be on the meridian, or reach the highest or the lowest altitude.
verb (used with object)
-
culminates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
culminated,
past participle, past
-
culminating
present participle
verb
-
to end or cause to end, esp to reach or bring to a final or climactic stage
-
(intr) (of a celestial body) to cross the meridian of the observer
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
culminatesimple
-
culminatessimple
-
have culminatedperfect
-
has culminatedperfect
-
am culminatingprogressive
-
are culminatingprogressive
-
is culminatingprogressive
-
have been culminatingperfect progressive
-
has been culminatingperfect progressive
Past
-
culminatedsimple
-
had culminatedperfect
-
was culminatingprogressive
-
were culminatingprogressive
-
had been culminatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of culminate
First recorded in 1640–50; from Late Latin culminātus (past participle of culmināre to come to a peak), equivalent to Latin culmin- (stem of culmen ) “peak, top” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
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.”
Vocabulary lists containing culminate
Unit 1: Telling Details
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Unbroken
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Pacific forum, which will culminate with a leaders' retreat on Thursday, has been touted for decades as a symbol of regional unity.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Smaller-deal activity is picking up, in part, because many founder-led businesses started by baby boomers are in the midst of succession planning, which will culminate in a wave of sale activity, according to Richert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The rituals culminate on the 10th day of the month Muharram, which this year falls on June 26.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
All of that will culminate on Saturday night in the quirky Cortina Curling Stadium, first built as an open-air venue to host the 1956 Games.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
Occasionally one of her infatuations would culminate in a lunch or coffee date, an encounter on which she would pin all her hopes but which would lead to nothing.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
After Wimbledon, the season switches to the North American hard court swing which culminates at the US Open between 30 August and 13 September.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
In the final act, which culminates in Christie’s hotly anticipated fall runway show, Riley successfully closes the circle.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
The tentative agreement culminates more than two years of contract negotiations and several one-day and multi-day strikes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The three countries, along with the Netherlands and Iceland, pulled out of this year's event in Vienna, which kicks off on Tuesday and culminates in Saturday's grand final.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
His embarrassment would have pleased me, but once he recovered, there would be that awkward period that sometimes culminates in a handshake.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
The protests, which culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month, exposed deep frustration among young Indians over access to jobs and educational opportunities.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Current co-host, former dancer and onetime judge Julianne Hough says all these elements culminated in a “perfect storm,” but it’s also the longtime Los Angeles-based production that’s essential to the show’s comeback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
And drummer Billy Higgins, whose friendship with Mr. Lloyd began in the 1950s and culminated in a remarkable album of duets, “Which Way Is East,” recorded in 2001, four months before Higgins’s death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It all culminated for Kerr with listening to Flower of Scotland playing while he stood, bottom lip twitching, on the podium.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
After the departure of the 7:45 train at 8:07, the day culminated with the much-anticipated Daughters of the American Revolution auction.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
But her life was also testament to her combination of determination, talent, self-confidence and hard work, culminating in success, without sacrificing decency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Graham’s campaign was a gaffe-filled slog culminating in a stunning debate answer in which she stated onstage, “National security is not my thing.”
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Investors will also receive a handful of key economic reports this week, culminating with Friday’s July jobs report.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Controversial decisions, threats to officials, a noxious atmosphere culminating with Celtic fans squaring up to Hearts players - it was a pitiful end to what been a thrilling season.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
This was the culminating romantic event of the school year on campus, and it seemed to me in my fantasy mode to be the perfect vehicle for our reconciliation.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
