climax
Americannoun
-
climaxes
plural
-
the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination.
His career reached its climax when he was elected president.
-
(in a dramatic or literary work) a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.
-
Rhetoric.
-
a figure consisting of a series of related ideas so arranged that each surpasses the preceding in force or intensity.
-
the last term or member of this figure.
-
-
an orgasm.
-
Ecology. the stable and self-perpetuating end stage in the ecological succession or evolution of a plant and animal community.
verb (used with or without object)
-
climaxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
climaxed,
past participle, past
-
climaxing
present participle
noun
-
the most intense or highest point of an experience or of a series of events
the party was the climax of the week
-
a decisive moment in a dramatic or other work
-
a rhetorical device by which a series of sentences, clauses, or phrases are arranged in order of increasing intensity
-
ecology the stage in the development of a community during which it remains stable under the prevailing environmental conditions
-
Also called: sexual climax. (esp in referring to women) another word for orgasm
verb
Usage
What does climax mean? A climax is the most intense, decisive point of something, especially in a story or film.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
climaxsimple
-
climaxessimple
-
have climaxedperfect
-
has climaxedperfect
-
am climaxingprogressive
-
are climaxingprogressive
-
is climaxingprogressive
-
have been climaxingperfect progressive
-
has been climaxingperfect progressive
Past
-
climaxedsimple
-
had climaxedperfect
-
was climaxingprogressive
-
were climaxingprogressive
-
had been climaxingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of climax
First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin, from Greek klîmax “ladder,” akin to klī́nein “to lean”
Explanation
When something — like a movie or piece of music — reaches its most important or exciting part, that's the climax. A climax is a high point. When you're on a roller coaster and you reach the highest point, that's the climax of the ride. This word is also used often in art and entertainment. In an adventure movie, there's usually a moment near the end when there's a lot of danger, suspense, and action — a point the whole movie has been building towards. That's the climax. After a climax, tension is released and things calm down. After a climax, you probably want to say "Whew!"
Vocabulary lists containing climax
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
AP English Lit exam terms
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Rhetoric
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Staging that key three minutes of the show’s meticulously choreographed, highly anticipated climax, is a technical feat involving more than 100 gallons of water and unwavering physical acumen on the part of the cast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
She ridiculed Lee's latest overture, calling it "the climax of the farce that everyone should watch" and said the military's demand her country apologise was "quite ridiculous."
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Fortunately the plot’s fairly predictable turns—the climax is a funny sing-off between Paulina and Ericka during a performance of the Whitney Houston power ballad “The Greatest Love of All”—are softened by the purely pleasurable performances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Its off-kilter tone and genuinely disturbing climax made it a favourite for horror fans.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
News of Booth’s death traveled across the nation by telegraph, and newspapers rushed to print stories filled with the details of the manhunt’s climax at Garrett’s farm.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Anderson is here for the melodrama, the special lessons and the climaxes that fall flat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
He heightens the beauty of its etude-like beginning and captures both its subtle ebb-and-flow and the propulsion of its climaxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
Lando Norris leads Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 12 points and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 16 as they head to a track that has hosted a number of dramatic climaxes in the past.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
Some of the best popcorn movie climaxes are built around less.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2025
As a trafficker in climaxes and thrills and characterization and wonderful dialogue and suspense and confrontations, I had outlined the Dresden story many times.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Roger Paterson presented his footage to America in a traveling show that crisscrossed the nation and climaxed with the hyped Bigfoot sequence on screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
But Marcus Tavernier's 69th minute penalty, awarded for Max Kilman's handball, sparked a Bournemouth fightback that climaxed with Enes Unal's 81st minute equaliser.
From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025
“When I Needed You” climaxed with a moving a cappella singalong that had virtually the entire crowd belting Jepsen’s lines about discovering how far is too far to go to accommodate a selfish partner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
It climaxed with Chalamet’s sheltered scion, Paul Atreides, abducted from his family’s spice-mining compound and left to die in the scorching Arrakis desert, patrolled by fanged sandworms the size of the Empire State Building.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
The debate over Lawrence’s future at Berkeley climaxed at an acrimonious faculty conclave pitting the hard sciences, represented by Birge and Lewis, against the humanities and social sciences departments.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
With the Lost Boys in tow, Peter and Wendy will take on Captain Hook, climaxing with a swashbuckling battle.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2024
Seven stakes are for 2-year-olds, climaxing with the $50,000 Gottstein Futurity at a mile and 70 yards on closing day.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
The film teases a confrontation between Marcus and Joe, climaxing with a meeting recalling Michael Mann’s “Heat.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2022
But by the second week of March, counts quickly bounced to high and even very high levels in the second week of the month, climaxing on March 11, due to a sudden spike in temperatures.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2021
The conference unanimously voted to initiate a massive countrywide antipass campaign beginning March 31 and climaxing on June 26 with a great bonfire of passes.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
