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n. 1. The highest point or part; the top. 2. The highest level or degree that can be attained. 3. a. The highest level, as of government officials. b. A conference or meeting of high-level leaders, usually called to shape a program of action. v. sum·mit·ed, sum·mit·ing, sum·mits v.tr. To climb to the summit of (a mountain). v.intr. To climb to the summit. [Middle English somet, from Old French sommette, diminutive of som, top, from Latin summum, from neuter of summus, highest; see uper in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: summit, peak1, pinnacle, acme, apex, zenith, climax These nouns all mean the highest point. Summit denotes the highest level attainable: "His six years with the canal company marked the summit of his career as a company man" (Simon Winchester). Peak usually refers to the uppermost or most intense point: "It was the peak of summer in the Berkshires" (Saul Bellow). Pinnacle denotes a towering height, as of achievement: The articulation of the theory of relativity catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle of his profession. Acme refers to an ultimate point, as of perfection: The artist's talents were at their acme when this work was created. Apex is the culminating point: The movie begins with the dictator at the apex of his power. Zenith is the point of highest achievement, most complete development, or greatest power: "Chivalry was then in its zenith" (Henry Hallam). Climax refers to the point of greatest strength, effect, or intensity that marks the endpoint of an ascending process: The government's collapse was the climax of a series of constitutional crises. |
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