summit

1 of 2

noun

sum·​mit ˈsə-mət How to pronounce summit (audio)
Synonyms of summitnext
1
: top, apex
especially : the highest point : peak
2
: the topmost level attainable
the summit of human fame
3
a
: the highest level of officials
especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government
b
: a conference of highest-level officials (such as heads of government)
an economic summit

summit

2 of 2

verb

summited; summiting; summits

intransitive verb

1
: to participate in a summit conference
2
: to climb to the summit
summited on May 29

Synonyms

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for summit

summit, peak, pinnacle, climax, apex, acme, culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable.

summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

Examples of summit in a Sentence

Noun The mountain range has summits over 10,000 feet high. The climbers failed to reach the summit. Leaders of several nations attended the economic summit. A summit on global warming was held that year.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
On the Billboard 200, the band has placed 30 albums, with four reaching the summit: Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977), Mirage (1982) and The Dance (1997). —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2024 The cold open immortalized the pair’s chummy summit and also introduced Trump’s Dr. Caligari–style cabinet of horrors. —Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
Verb
No, summiting Everest — a snowy, icy endeavor that has claimed countless lives and left tons of trash behind — doesn’t have a ton in common with Olympic sport climbing. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024 The dual stories of Sherpa’s past struggles and present attempts to summit Everest have moved audiences ever since the film’s premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. —Jenelle Riley, Variety, 31 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for summit 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English somete, from Anglo-French sumet, diminutive of sum top, from Latin summum, neuter of summus highest — more at sum

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of summit was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing summit

Dictionary Entries Near summit

summist

summit

summiteer

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Summit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summit. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

summit

noun
sum·​mit
ˈsəm-ət
1
: top entry 1 sense 1a, apex
especially : the highest point (as of a mountain)
2
: the topmost level that can be reached
3
a
: the highest level of officials
especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government
b
: a conference of the highest-level officials (as heads of government)

More from Merriam-Webster on summit

Nglish: Translation of summit for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of summit for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about summit

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