culminate
verb
Frederick Marryat
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When a star or other heavenly body culminates, it reaches its highest point above the horizon from the vantage point of an observer on the ground. Culminate was drawn from Medieval Latin culminare, meaning "to crown," specifically for this astronomical application. Its ultimate root is Latin culmen, meaning "top." Today, the word’s typical context is less lofty: it can mean “to reach a climactic point,” as in “a long career culminating in a prestigious award,” but it can also simply mean "to reach the end of something,” as in “a sentence culminating in a period.”
Examples of culminate in a Sentence
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
The federal indictment from Washington, D.C. charges Trump with four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and two other charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, culminating in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
The Richmond Police Department, along with financial forensic analysts from the district attorney’s office, launched an investigation, which culminated in her arrest on April 19.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The company announced in November 2022 that Wilson would take the reins from former CEO Mark Mondello the following May, which culminated in an orderly transition at the manufacturer, with hardly a ripple.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The most popular are the east and west summit trails, which span 1.4 miles each and culminate at the 1,011-foot summit of Pinnacle Mountain.
—Jesse Cain, arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
In animals without those factors, bruising, bleeding into body cavities and hemorrhaging can culminate in shock and death.
—Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
That followed years of crisis under Gulden’s predecessor, culminating in the cancelation of the company’s partnership with the rapper and designer Ye.
—Tim Loh, Fortune Europe, 17 Apr. 2024
Donna Kelce was also on hand for the event, which culminated in a surprise commencement ceremony for the brothers, who received their degrees from University of Cincinnait president Dr. Neville Pinto.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Culminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culminate. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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culminate
verb
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