Definition of "climax" []

• The point of greatest intensity or force in an ascending series or progression; a culmination. See Synonyms at summit. (noun)
• A series of statements or ideas in an ascending order of rhetorical force or intensity. (noun)
• The final statement in such a series. (noun)
• A moment of great or culminating intensity in a narrative or drama, especially the conclusion of a crisis. (noun)
• The turning point in a plot or dramatic action. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The mytho-historical language virus that eats up much of the book has no bearing on the story, the big bad A-Bomb that gets mentioned repeatedly turns out to be of no concern, and the climax is a mob guy beating the bad guy with a skateboard."
• ""Stop a bit, Carr; I had not come to it," interrupted Lord Hartledon, who in point of fact had been holding back what he called the climax, in his usual vacillating manner."
• "A work of art can hardly be too short, for its climax is its merit."