summit
noun
the highest point or part, as of a hill, a line of travel, or any object; top; apex.
summit
1 American
[suhm-it]
/ ˈsʌm ɪt /
noun
-
summits
plural
-
the highest point or part, as of a hill, a line of travel, or any object; top; apex.
- Antonyms:
- base
-
the highest point of attainment or aspiration.
the summit of one's ambition.
- Synonyms:
- culmination, zenith, acme
-
the highest state or degree.
- Synonyms:
- culmination, zenith, acme
-
the highest level of diplomatic or other governmental officials.
a meeting at the summit.
adjective
verb (used without object)
-
to take part in a summit meeting.
-
to reach a summit.
summited after a 14-hour climb.
verb (used with object)
Summit
2
American
[suhm-it]
/ ˈsʌm ɪt /
noun
-
a city in NE New Jersey.
-
a city in NE Illinois.
summit
British
/ ˈsʌmɪt /
noun
-
the highest point or part, esp of a mountain or line of communication; top
-
the highest possible degree or state; peak or climax
the summit of ambition
-
the highest level, importance, or rank
a meeting at the summit
-
-
a meeting of chiefs of governments or other high officials
-
( as modifier )
a summit conference
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of summit
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English somete, from Old French, from som “top” (from Latin summum, noun use of neuter of summus “highest”; see sum) + -ete -et
Explanation
What better place for the mountain-climbing summit than on the summit of the mountain. A summit can mean either a meeting between people who are interested in the same subject or the peak of the mountain. Although originally meant to describe a meeting between the heads of state, summit can be used to describe any gathering of people who care deeply about the same topic. If, for example, you are the captain of your chess club, you might attend the upcoming Chess Club Summit, at which new rules of the tournament will be discussed. Moreover, while summit also means the very top of a mountain, summit can be used metaphorically to mean a variety of heights, such as the summit of a career, an industry, or any kind of major effort.
Vocabulary lists containing summit
Higher Learning: Synonyms For "Up"
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!
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 7
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!
The Contemporary Period, c. 1914 to the Present
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:
But, over the weekend, a stream of news stories contained information about the proposed summit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Photoshop him into a 2005 summit meeting alongside Tony Blair, George W. Bush and Jacques Chirac, and he’d fit right in.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The annual summer gathering of senior royals at Balmoral has "turned into a summit" on the return of the Sussexes, the Sun says.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Beijing has not yet made a final decision regarding the proposal for the COP33 summit, both sources said, nor is there a clear timeline for doing so.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Don Swanson spent his first hours at Mount St. Helens leaning out of a hovering helicopter directly over the summit of the volcano.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Student body president Summit Louth said he had spoken to around 50 classmates and they were either happy or jealous the policy didn’t exist when they were freshmen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Cassidy said he expects to learn more at the Future of Memory and Storage Summit this week in Silicon Valley.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
"At major competitions such as the World Cosplay Summit, people tend to want to wear costumes that involve a certain level of technical complexity and often have several layers," the electrical technician told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The FBU is urging government to convene a National Wildfire Summit to build national resilience, and is calling for 5,000 firefighters to be recruited nationwide.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Two full bottles were waiting for them at the South Summit; if Hall had known this he could have retrieved the gas fairly quickly and then climbed back up to give Hansen a fresh tank.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
The trip marks a rare foreign visit for the crown prince, with Paris emphasising that he seldom leaves his home country other than for international summits.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Scottish Mountaineering Club requires climbers to reach 1,072 summits across six different hill classifications to complete the "full house".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
During his term as prime minister, Lord Cameron had multiple dealings with the Ukrainian leader, including meetings at international summits.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
No issue facing Southeast Asia's foreign ministers has been more fraught than how to reintegrate Myanmar, a member state formally excluded from such summits since its military junta seized power in 2021.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In his systematic fashion he continued to refine the company’s infrastructure and services—and continued to be extraordinarily successful at escorting amateur climbers to the summits of big, remote mountains.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
