culminate

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To reach the highest point or degree; climax: habitual antagonism that culminated in open hostility.
2. v. To come to completion; end: Years of waiting culminated in a tearful reunion.
3. v. Astronomy To reach the highest point above an observer's horizon. Used of stars and other celestial bodies.
4. v. To bring to the point of greatest intensity or to completion; climax: The ceremony culminated a long week of preparation.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To come to or be on the meridian; be in the highest point of altitude, as a star, or, according to the usage of astronomers, reach either the highest or the lowest altitude.
2. To reach the highest point, apex, or summit, literally or figuratively.
3. n. Growing upward, as distinguished from a lateral growth: applied to the growth of corals.

Wiktionary

1. v. intransitive, astronomy Of a heavenly body, to be at the highest point, reach its greatest altitude.
2. v. intransitive To reach the (physical) summit, highest point, peak etc.
3. v. intransitive To reach a climax; to come to the decisive point (especially as an end or conclusion).
4. v. transitive To finalize, bring to a conclusion, form the climax of.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To reach its highest point of altitude; to come to the meridian; to be vertical or directly overhead.
2. v. To reach the highest point, as of rank, size, power, numbers, etc.
3. adj. Growing upward, as distinguished from a lateral growth; -- applied to the growth of corals.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. bring to a head or to the highest point
2. v. rise to, or form, a summit
3. v. reach the highest or most decisive point
4. v. end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
5. v. reach the highest altitude or the meridian, of a celestial body