culminate

verb

ˈkəl-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce culminate (audio)
Definition of culminatenext
as in to complete
to bring to a triumphant conclusion culminated the school year with a trip to New York

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of culminate An investigation into a fatal shooting late last month in rural Morgan Hill culminated Thursday in the arrest of a 17-year-old suspect, authorities said. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2026 These concerns sent Salesforce shares into a steep decline, which included a 14-day losing streak that culminated in the stock bottoming out around $150 on June 22. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 The preseason culminates Friday night, when the club hosts the Seattle Seahawks in its final warmup game of 2026. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026 Since taking over the firm from their father Maged Riad in 1998, brothers Mickey and Maury Riad have worked to propel the company into a new era, culminating in the launch of its e-commerce business in 2024. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for culminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culminate
  1. complete
  2. finish
  3. conclude
  4. crown
  5. climax
Verb
  • Gordon was completed swiftly, earning Newcastle more money than anticipated (with €70m benchmarked).
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Five to six years ago, certainly, people were not thinking about agentic AI systems that can plan and complete multi-step tasks with little to no human intervention.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of complete
Verb
  • Van Gisbergen, the road-course ace with seven victories the past two seasons, finished 28th.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Murphy was a diminutive, formal woman of Irish birth who never finished grade school but had a great appetite for learning.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of finish
Verb
  • Still, several financial analysts have concluded that the prediction frenzy, with its sleek mobile apps and easy-to-understand odds, are driving the stock drops.
    — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • An autonomous attacker does not care what an organization's SPRS score says, whether its dashboard is green or whether an assessment concluded that a control was implemented.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of conclude
Verb
  • The event returns to Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday with a full slate of matches and the possibility of new world champions being crowned in front of more than 40,000 people.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • On June 23, 1991, he was crowned at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
    — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of crown
Verb
  • The show climaxed in a Bonnie and Clyde-ish stickup, a demand for arts funding at the point of a gun.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In Turkey, a decade of monetary mismanagement climaxed in 2001 with a stock market crash and massive currency devaluation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Definition of climax

Browse Nearby Words

culls
culminate
culminated
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Cite this Entry

“Culminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culminate. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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