climax

American  

[klahy-maks] / ˈklaɪ mæks /

noun

climaxes plural

1. the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination.

   His career reached its climax when he was elected president.

   Synonyms:

   apex, acme, zenith, summit

2. (in a dramatic or literary work) a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.

3. Rhetoric.

   1. a figure consisting of a series of related ideas so arranged that each surpasses the preceding in force or intensity.

   2. the last term or member of this figure.

4. an orgasm.

5. 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

1. to bring to or reach a climax.

climax British  

/ ˈklaɪmæks /

noun

1. the most intense or highest point of an experience or of a series of events

   the party was the climax of the week

2. a decisive moment in a dramatic or other work

3. a rhetorical device by which a series of sentences, clauses, or phrases are arranged in order of increasing intensity

4. ecology the stage in the development of a community during which it remains stable under the prevailing environmental conditions

5. Also called: sexual climax.  (esp in referring to women) another word for orgasm

---

verb

1. to reach or bring to a climax

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

• hyperclimax
  noun
• unclimaxed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• climaxes
  plural

Participles

• climaxing
  present
• climaxed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• climax
  simple
• climaxes
  simple
• have climaxed
  perfect
• has climaxed
  perfect
• are climaxing
  progressive
• am climaxing
  progressive
• is climaxing
  progressive
• have been climaxing
  perfect progressive
• has been climaxing
  perfect progressive

Past

• climaxed
  simple
• had climaxed
  perfect
• was climaxing
  progressive
• were climaxing
  progressive
• had been climaxing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will climax
  simple
• will have climaxed
  perfect
• will be climaxing
  progressive
• will have been climaxing
  perfect progressive

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!"

Example Sentences

Abdullah was born in San Diego as Brian Climax but goes by his Muslim name.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Born in Greensboro, N.C., in 1935 and raised in a nearby town named Climax, Avant was the oldest of eight children.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2023

At Climax Packaging Machinery near Cincinnati, orders for drink-packaging machines and other industrial equipment are down about 40 percent from a year ago.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2023

Gaspar Noé's new film, "Vortex," is sure to make audiences uncomfortable — but not in the way his earlier, outrageous films, "Irréversible," or "Climax," have done.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2022

Climax is a figure in which the intensity of the thought and emotion gradually increases with the successive groups of words or phrases.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

Related Words

• capstone
• turning point