Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To reach the highest point or degree; climax.
  • intransitive verb To come to completion; end.
  • intransitive verb Astronomy To reach the highest point above an observer's horizon. Used of stars and other celestial bodies.
  • intransitive verb To bring to the point of greatest intensity or to completion; climax.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To come to or be on the meridian; be in the highest point of altitude, as a star, or, according to the usage of astronomers, reach either the highest or the lowest altitude.
  • To reach the highest point, apex, or summit, literally or figuratively.
  • noun Growing upward, as distinguished from a lateral growth: applied to the growth of corals.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Growing upward, as distinguished from a lateral growth; -- applied to the growth of corals.
  • intransitive verb To reach its highest point of altitude; to come to the meridian; to be vertical or directly overhead.
  • intransitive verb To reach the highest point, as of rank, size, power, numbers, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive, astronomy Of a heavenly body, to be at the highest point, reach its greatest altitude.
  • verb intransitive To reach the (physical) summit, highest point, peak etc.
  • verb intransitive To reach a climax; to come to the decisive point (especially as an end or conclusion).
  • verb transitive To finalize, bring to a conclusion, form the climax of.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb bring to a head or to the highest point
  • verb rise to, or form, a summit
  • verb reach the highest or most decisive point
  • verb end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
  • verb reach the highest altitude or the meridian, of a celestial body

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin culmināre, culmināt-, from Latin culmen, culmin-, summit; see kel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Recorded since 1647, from Medieval Latin culminatus, the past participle of culminare ("to crown"), from Latin culmen ("peak, the highest point"), older form columen ("top, summit"), from a Proto-Indo-European base *kel- "to project".

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Examples

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

  • "What this will do - and I hate to use the word culminate - but this will culminate in a strategic plan and then go into an implementation phase.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2008

Comments

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  • reach the highest or most decisive point

    Beethoven's musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.

    October 15, 2016