apex
- 1
- 2The time when something is most successful or at its biggest.
At the apex of her career, she sang in the biggest concert halls in the world.
The town was at its apex when the factory was still open.
UsageOften at the apex of something: at its best time.
Similarpeak, height, pinnacle, culmination, acme
Oppositenadir
- 3The very top of the food chain, used before a word like predator.
Wolves are the apex predators in this forest.
Without its apex predator, the lake filled up with small fish.
Note
- 4
- 5The spot in a turn where the best path for a race car comes closest to the inside.
She braked too late and missed the apex of the last turn.
Drivers try to hit the apex so they keep their speed through the corner.
UsageDrivers hit the apex of a corner.
Note
- 6The tip of a plant's shoot, where new growth happens.
Pinch off the apex of each basil stem to make the plant bushier.
A late frost killed the apex of the young shoot, so it grew two side branches instead.
Similartip
Note
Less common meanings
- 7The sharp top point of a letter like A, where two lines meet, or the pointed top of t.
On the sign, the apex of each A was painted gold.
She drew the letters by hand and made every apex nice and sharp.
Note
- 8A small slanted mark sometimes written over a vowel in ancient Latin to show that it was said long.
- 9The point in the sky that the Sun seems to be moving toward, compared with nearby stars.
- 10In mining, the end or edge of a vein in the rock that comes nearest to the surface.
- 11The lowest point of a drop of liquid that is hanging down.
- 12A fence shaped like a pointed corner that a horse jumps over.
- 13A mark used in old Vietnamese writing to show a sound like ng and m said together.
- 14A pointed hat, shaped like a cone, worn by some priests in ancient Rome.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of apex apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
From the Latin word apex, meaning "tip" or "top".
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- English apex comes from Latin apex. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin apex means “tip” or “top”. en.wiktionary.org