summit
/ˈsʌm.ɪt/ IELTSAcademic
noun
- 1.
The highest point of a hill or mountain. It is the top part you reach after going up.
- We stopped at the summit to rest.
- Snow covered the summit.
- The summit gave us a great view.
- 2.
A meeting between important leaders, especially from governments. People use it for a serious, high-level meeting.
- The leaders met at a summit.
- They attended a climate summit.
- The summit lasted two days.
Adinary Nuance
Summit is more specific than top or peak. Use summit for the highest point of a mountain, or for an important meeting between leaders. Peak is often used for mountains too, but summit sounds a little more formal. For meetings, summit is stronger and more official than meeting or conference.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- đỉnh núi
- Spanish
- cumbre
- Chinese
- 山顶
- Japanese
- 頂上
- Korean
- 정상
Etymology
Summit comes from Latin summa, meaning 'highest point'. It entered English through French in the Middle Ages.
Common phrases
the summit of a mountaina summit meetinga climate summitworld leaders’ summit
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is summit formal or informal?
- It is fairly formal, especially for politics and business.
- What is the difference between summit and peak?
- Peak usually means the top of a mountain. Summit can mean the top too, but it also means a leaders' meeting.
- Can I say summit conference?
- Yes, but summit is often enough by itself. 'Summit meeting' is more common.