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  • summit
    summit
    noun
    the highest point or part, as of a hill, a line of travel, or any object; top; apex.
  • Summit
    Summit
    noun
    a city in NE New Jersey.
Synonyms

summit

1 American  
[suhm-it] / ˈsʌm ɪt /

noun

summits plural
  1. the highest point or part, as of a hill, a line of travel, or any object; top; apex.

    Synonyms:
    pinnacle, peak
    Antonyms:
    base
  2. the highest point of attainment or aspiration.

    the summit of one's ambition.

    Synonyms:
    culmination, zenith, acme
  3. the highest state or degree.

    Synonyms:
    culmination, zenith, acme
  4. the highest level of diplomatic or other governmental officials.

    a meeting at the summit.

  5. summit meeting.


adjective

  1. of or relating to a summit meeting.

    summit talks.

verb (used without object)

  1. to take part in a summit meeting.

  2. to reach a summit.

    summited after a 14-hour climb.

verb (used with object)

  1. to reach the summit of.

Summit 2 American  
[suhm-it] / ˈsʌm ɪt /

noun

  1. a city in NE New Jersey.

  2. a city in NE Illinois.


summit British  
/ ˈsʌmɪt /

noun

  1. the highest point or part, esp of a mountain or line of communication; top

  2. the highest possible degree or state; peak or climax

    the summit of ambition

  3. the highest level, importance, or rank

    a meeting at the summit

    1. a meeting of chiefs of governments or other high officials

    2. ( as modifier )

      a summit conference

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing summit

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:

Relations between Moscow and Washington have cooled recently after efforts which saw Trump invite Vladimir Putin for a summit in Alaska in August last year.

From Barron's Jul. 28, 2026

Last week, leaders of the West African regional bloc Ecowas condemned reported attacks on African migrants in South Africa, as Nigeria and Ghana raised the issue at a summit in Sierra Leone.

From BBC Jul. 27, 2026

There are also the legions of sponsors and guests, who follow the race from bleachers at the summit and nibble on petits fours while the competition rages in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 24, 2026

They have also demanded that the issue of "Afrophobia" be discussed at the next African Union summit, while Ghana has postponed a planned visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

From Barron's Jul. 21, 2026

At the summit, lightning had splintered the giant pine tree.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

The Summit blaze ignited shortly before 1 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 12, 2026

The final summit declaration consisted of six concise paragraphs, mirroring the brevity of the 2025 Hague Summit declaration.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 9, 2026

In a time when acts like Fred Again.. and John Summit are Gen Z fixtures and the underground is bustling with invention, the genre interest was primed.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 8, 2026

Fifteen minutes later, Lopsang arrived at the South Summit on his way down from the top and encountered Harris.*

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

So he is arguably the most important non-American in the world for the regulation of crypto and stablecoins, reporting directly to G7 and G20 summits.

From BBC Jul. 13, 2026

But when summits become a venue for essentially undermining allied assurance and adversary deterrence, their utility diminishes.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 9, 2026

He also hosted Xi Jinping in Pyongyang soon after the Chinese president had held back-to-back summits in Beijing with Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

From Barron's Jun. 19, 2026

Xi's upcoming visit to Pyongyang would be his first in seven years, and comes after he hosted back-to-back summits with US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin last month.

From Barron's Jun. 7, 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

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