Meaning & use
culminated
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“culminated” is a form of “culminate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Reached a final result or highest point after a period of development.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by 'in' or 'with': The talks culminated in an agreement.
Patterns
- culminate in something
- culminate with something
- culminate in doing something
Months of training culminated in a gold medal at the national championships.
The festival culminated with a fireworks display over the river.
Years of research culminated in a vaccine that saved thousands of lives.
verbintransitive
Reached the highest or most intense point of something.
Grammar: No object; often used for events, feelings, or careers that reach a peak.
Patterns
- culminate in something
- culminate with something
Her career culminated in a decade as head of the department.
The evening culminated in a standing ovation for the young pianist.
Word forms
| third person singular | culminates |
|---|---|
| past tense | culminated |
| past participle | culminated |
| -ing form | culminating |
Common combinations
- culminate in success
- The project culminated in success after two difficult years.
- culminate with a celebration
- The week culminated with a celebration in the town square.
- culminate in a victory
- The campaign culminated in a narrow victory.
- culminate in a decision
- The discussions culminated in a decision to expand the program.
- culminate in a ceremony
- The course culminated in a ceremony for all the graduates.
Synonyms and how they differ
- end
- 'End' is more general and can be used with or without a result; 'culminate' stresses a long build-up and a clear final point.
- peak
- 'Peak' focuses on the highest point itself, while 'culminate' focuses on the process of arriving there.
- conclude
- 'Conclude' is more formal and often means simply to finish, without the idea of a climax.
Opposites
Word family
- culmination noun
- The final result or highest point of a process.
- culminating adjective
- Describing the final event in a series, as in a culminating activity.
Commonly confused: culminated or accumulated?
culminated vs accumulated
'Accumulated' means gradually collected or increased in amount; 'culminated' means reached a final result or peak.
Practice
The negotiations ______ a historic peace agreement.
Choose one answer.
'Culminate in' introduces the final result, so 'culminated in' fits here. 'Culminated with' usually introduces the last event in a series, not the outcome itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “culminated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.