apex
1 Americannoun
plural
apexes, apices-
the tip, point, or vertex; summit.
-
climax; peak; acme.
His election to the presidency was the apex of his career.
-
Astronomy. solar apex.
noun
noun
-
the highest point; vertex
-
the pointed end or tip of something
-
a pinnacle or high point, as of a career, etc
-
Also called: solar apex. astronomy the point on the celestial sphere, lying in the constellation Hercules, towards which the sun appears to move at a velocity of 20 kilometres per second relative to the nearest stars
acronym
-
Advance Purchase Excursion: a reduced airline or long-distance rail fare that must be paid a specified number of days in advance
-
(in Britain) Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical, and Computer Staff
Etymology
Origin of apex1
Borrowed into English from Latin around 1595–1605
Origin of APEX2
First recorded in 1970–75; A(dvance) P(urchase) Ex(cursion)
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.
"That could be one factor that allowed them to dominate the end of the Cretaceous Period as apex carnivores."
From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026
A wolf arrived in Los Angeles County on Saturday morning, marking the first time the apex predator has been documented in the area in at least a century, according to state wildlife officials.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026
He says not all zoos will survive but describes the birth of a critically-endangered Amur leopard at Dartmoor Zoo - a species on the brink of extinction - as "the apex of our achievement".
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
They also found many arthropods -- a family that includes modern-day crabs and insects -- including spiny, stalk-eyed creatures called radiodonts which were the apex predator of the time.
From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026
There’s probably a genetic reason every mother believes her son to be the apex of male beauty.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
![]()
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.