1
a
: the uppermost point : vertex
the apex of a mountain
b
: the narrowed or pointed end : tip
the apex of the tongue
2
: the highest or culminating point
the apex of his career
3
: the point of sharpest curvature in a path (such as that followed by a turning vehicle)
a driver hitting the apex as he races around a corner
At the apex of the turn his rear wheels apparently came unstuck from the oil-drenched groove. Robert F. Jones

Did you know?

Apex entered English from Latin, where it originally meant "a small rod at the top of a flamen's cap." What's a flamen's cap? Flamens were priests who devoted themselves to serving just one of the many ancient Roman gods (for instance, just Jupiter or Mars). Those priests wore distinctive conical caps that English speakers dubbed "flamen's caps." Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century dramatist Ben Jonson was one of the few English writers known to have used "apex" in its flamen's-cap sense: "Upon his head a hat of delicate wool, whose top ended in a cone, and was thence called apex."

Choose the Right Synonym for apex

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 apex in a Sentence

she reached the apex of fame, only to find it wasn't what she expected the apex of the spear
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The turn of the millennium is when vodka was at the apex of its cultural power. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Jan. 2025 Workers at Ford famously mass-produced the lightweight Army Jeep, the Pygmy, and, at an apex of one per hour, the B-24 Liberator. Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024 The film reaches its apex towards the end as the story slows down to savor each course of this monumental meal—primi, secondi, etc. Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024 Having been in single-file previously, one rider — too far away to definitively identify — moves off the racing line at the apex of the corner, appearing to overtake. Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for apex 

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of apex was in 1590

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Dictionary Entries Near apex

Cite this Entry

“Apex.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apex. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

plural apexes or apices ˈā-pə-ˌsēz How to pronounce apex (audio)
ˈap-ə-
1
: the uppermost point : top
apex of a mountain
2
: tip entry 4 sense 1
apex of the tongue
3
: the highest point
at the apex of her career

Medical Definition

: a narrowed or pointed end of an anatomical structure: as
a
: the narrow somewhat conical upper part of a lung extending into the root
b
: the lower pointed end of the heart situated in humans opposite the space between the cartilages of the fifth and sixth ribs on the left side
c
: the extremity of the root of a tooth

More from Merriam-Webster on apex

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