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 of summit

Relevance

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
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Noun
The next day at the summit, while everyone else sported their Team USA gear properly tucked and pressed, Liu showed up in something straight out of Jennifer Beal’s wardrobe in Flashdance. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026 The conquest of Everest cost the lives of 13 men before Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay set foot on the summit. —New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
Big Island summits over 12,000 feet could see a foot or more of snow on Monday. —ABC News, 10 Feb. 2026 The film specifically hones in on a 2021 expedition involving Icelandic mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjónsson, as well as the Pakistani father-son team of Ali and Sajid Sadpara, who set out to be the first to summit the world’s second-highest mountain, K2. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026 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

Rhymes for summit

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Browse Nearby Words

summist
summit
summiteer
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Cite this Entry

“Summit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summit. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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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.com: Encyclopedia article about summit

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