summit

1 of 2

noun

sum·​mit ˈsə-mət How to pronounce summit (audio)
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
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
Noun
This year, his schedule includes delivering a rare address before the Australian Parliament as well as the keynote speech at Asia’s premier defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore. Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Taylor Swift stole the show at an Asian summit Tuesday when Singapore's leader was prompted to defend his country's exclusive concert deal with the singer that risks bad blood in the region by preventing her from performing in neighboring nations. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2024 With the new champ, Offset achieves his first solo chart-topper in a leading role, while Don Toliver visits the summit for the first time in any capacity. Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2024 The question of where that money will come from will be central to the next United Nations climate summit (known as COP), scheduled for this November in Baku, Azerbaijan. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2024 The single hits the summit for the first time in its second frame on the tally. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Matsumoto and his team set about restoring the trails, and now cyclists are whisked to the summit only to weave their way down, wheels kissing the earth of rejuvenated paths that slice through whispers of bamboo forests and glide past towns steeped in history. Jonny Bierman, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 Officials from the Department of Energy prepared to meet with tribal leaders to discuss clean energy projects at a summit in Southern California. Sophie Austin, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024 Vultures 1 marked West’s eleventh trip to the summit on the Billboard 200. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
The climbers also turned around when the weather conditions started to get worse, instead of continuing to try to summit Baldy. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024 Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Knowing that people will still climb his mountains, Reiber’s latest tool is an electronic waiver (signed by Washington Post journalists who summited Democrat). Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 23 July 2023 It’s been a joy to share this outdoorsy corner of the newspaper with you and go on all kinds of adventures — from hiking with my cat in the hills of L.A. to summiting imposing Mt. Baldy in the snow. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2024 So instead of getting a bunch of dehydrated backpacker chow for your friend who is trying to summit several mountains in the next year, buy them one of these gifts instead. Carina Finn, Bon Appétit, 14 Dec. 2023 Some have summited the daunting peak, but none have done this particularly challenging route in the light alpine style employed by a trio of Americans who successfully reached the 25,295-foot summit on Oct. 12, John Branch explains in a recent piece for the New York Times. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Rich Moore, of Pagosa Springs, and Finney, his Jack Russell terrier, were reported missing on Aug. 19 after going to summit nearby Blackhead Peak, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023 Moore and his dog had been missing since August 19, disappearing after leaving with a plan to summit Blackhead Peak, which is located just east of Pagosa Springs. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023 The Denver Gazette, citing the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office, reported Moore and his dog had gone missing after planning to summit Blackhead Peak, which is about 20 miles east of Pagosa Springs. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'summit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near summit

Cite this Entry

“Summit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

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