Meaning & use
climax
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Meanings
nouncountable
The point at which tension, excitement, or importance is at its highest, usually near the end of a story, event, or process.
Grammar: Usually singular with an or the: the climax of the film.
Patterns
- the climax of something
- reach a climax
- build to a climax
The film reaches its climax when the two rivals finally meet on the bridge.
The concert built to a climax with a huge fireworks display.
The climax of the campaign came on election night.
verbintransitive
To reach the most intense or exciting point, or to bring something to that point.
Grammar: No object; often followed by in or with: the story climaxes with a trial.
Patterns
- climax in something
- climax with something
The chase climaxes in a dramatic leap across the rooftops.
The season climaxed with a surprise victory for the underdogs.
Their long dispute climaxed in a public argument.
nouncountableformal
The peak of sexual excitement; the same word as the general sense but used in a specific context.
Grammar: A plain term used in health and biology contexts, with the same meaning as orgasm.
The article explained the physical stages leading up to a climax.
Doctors sometimes use climax as a neutral word for this moment.
The term climax appears in many health guides.
Word forms
| plural | climaxes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | climaxes |
| past tense | climaxed |
| past participle | climaxed |
| -ing form | climaxing |
Common combinations
- reach a climax
- The argument reached a climax when she walked out.
- dramatic climax
- The novel ends with a dramatic climax at sea.
- build to a climax
- The music slowly builds to a climax.
- come to a climax
- Months of unrest came to a climax in the capital.
- the climax of the story
- The climax of the story takes place at midnight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peak
- Peak can describe the high point of any measurable thing, while climax suggests a build-up of tension in a sequence of events.
- culmination
- Culmination stresses the final result of a long process, whereas climax stresses the moment of greatest intensity.
- high point
- High point is more casual and may simply mean the best moment, not necessarily the most tense.
- apex
- Apex is a more formal, geometric image of a topmost point and rarely suggests drama.
Opposites
Word family
- climactic adjective
- forming or relating to a climax
- anticlimax noun
- a disappointing end after great excitement
- anticlimactic adjective
- disappointing after a build-up
Commonly confused: climax or climatic?
climax vs climatic
Climatic relates to climate and weather, while climactic relates to a climax. They differ by only one letter in writing.
Practice
The final battle is the ____ of the whole trilogy.
Choose one answer.
Climax means the most intense point of a story. Anticlimax means a letdown, and climate has nothing to do with plot.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “climax”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.