peak

1 of 5

noun

1
: a pointed or projecting part of a garment
especially : the visor of a cap or hat
The cap's peak shades his eyes.
2
: promontory
a steep rocky peak
3
: a sharp or pointed end
the peak of a roof
4
a(1)
: the top of a hill or mountain ending in a point
the fog hung … heavily on the peak of the hillH. D. Skidmore
(2)
: a prominent mountain usually having a well-defined summit
b
: something resembling a mountain peak
Beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
5
a
: the upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail
b
: the narrow part of a ship's bow or stern or the part of the hold in it
6
a
: the highest level or greatest degree
a singer at the peak of her popularity
b
: a high point in a course of development especially as represented on a graph
The graph shows that murders in the city reached a peak two years ago.
7

peak

2 of 5

verb (1)

peaked; peaking; peaks

intransitive verb

: to reach a maximum (as of capacity, value, or activity)
often used with out

transitive verb

: to cause to come to a peak, point, or maximum

peak

3 of 5

adjective

1
: being at or reaching the maximum
peak levels
peak output
peak performance
operating at peak strength/efficiency
Wang thinks that groundwater was jolted free by the quake. The water then trickled down into the streams and reached a peak outpour about 30 days later.Thomas Sumner
Air-conditioning is also one of the main contributors to peak electric power demand …Shane Cashman
also : of, relating to, or being a period of maximum intensity or activity
And because women, as a whole, leave later for work than men, they tend to travel right smack-dab in the peak hours of congestion (and even more so in the afternoon peak hours, which is partially why those tend to be worse.) Tom Vanderbilt
2
: being at the height of popularity, use, or attention
used before the name of a product, person, cultural trend, etc.
Just when you think we've surely reached peak bourbon, someone else ups the ante. No longer is it enough to have the oldest, the rarest, or the most expensive whiskey, or even to pick a personal barrel from a distillery.Dana McMahan
All this is to say, we are at peak Wes Anderson—or rather, we have been for a very, very long time. We have to ask: why is this style so easy to send up? And why is it so hard to dislodge?Louis Wise

peak

4 of 5

verb (2)

peaked; peaking; peaks

intransitive verb

1
: to grow thin or sickly
2
: to dwindle away

peak

5 of 5

verb (3)

peaked; peaking; peaks

transitive verb

1
nautical : to set (a gaff, a yard, etc.) nearer the perpendicular
2
rowing : to hold (oars) with blades well raised

Did you know?

Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique

Peek, peak, and pique: they sound the same but mean very different things.

The first one we learn is peek: it has to do with looking, especially furtively or quickly or through a small space, as in "open the box and peek inside." It's both a noun and a verb; when you peek, you take a peek. Our advice for remembering this one is to keep in mind that you peek in order to see.

Peak is the verb you use to talk about reaching a maximum, or coming to a highest point, literally or figuratively, as in "The meteor shower will last for several days but will peak on Sunday." Its noun counterpart, which refers to various pointed or projecting parts, is more common: something that peaks reaches a peak. Just as every mountain has a peak, thinking of the peak—the highest point—is the way to remember that peak is the choice for reaching the highest levels. Associating the "a" in peak with the "a" in maximum or with a capital "A" (the most mountain-like of letters) can be helpful.

Pique is the oddball of this trio. We know the "ique" spelling from the likes of technique, antique, and unique, but pique nonetheless looks a little exotic. It comes from a French word meaning literally "to prick," but its earliest English use was as a noun. The noun is still used: a pique is a transient feeling of wounded vanity—a kind of resentment. As a verb, pique was (and still is, especially in British English) used to mean "to arouse anger or resentment in," as in "Their rudeness piqued me." Now, however, it's most often our interest or curiosity that gets piqued—that is to say, our interest or curiosity is aroused, as in "The large key hanging next on the wall piqued my curiosity."

Pique has another meaning too, though it's less common than any of those already mentioned. Pique sometimes is used to mean "to take pride in (oneself)," as in "She piques herself on her editing skills."

Master this trio, and you can pique yourself on your word skills.

Choose the Right Synonym for peak

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 peak in a Sentence

Noun a line of rocky peaks the peak of the roof The recipe says to beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. At her peak she was writing a new novel every year. Violence reached a peak just before the election. The graph shows that murders in the city declined from a peak of 173 in 2004. Adjective The factory has been running at peak capacity for the past year. the peak season for fishing
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
At its peak, around 10.16pm, 1.1 million were watching. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Another example of Roseberry pushing the envelope in silhouettes: At January’s Golden Globe Awards, Natasha Lyonne wore a Schiaparelli gown from the Spring Summer 2023 haute couture collection that featured two dramatic peaks rising up from the neckline. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 The album was released at the peak of grunge, when Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden still dominated alternative rock, and fast, irreverent punk pop groups such as the Offspring were ascendant. Spin Staff, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 This is significantly less than the peak during the financial crisis, when the proportion hit 13%. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 What’s most important is to do it at peak energy time, which for me is midafternoon. Nancy A. Ruhling, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Job openings, while still relatively plentiful, are well below their peak. Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 The labor market has cooled notably since its peak during the reopening of the economy following pandemic lockdowns. Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Showers are expected to begin Friday morning between 3 and 9 a.m., and peak rainfall is forecasted to come down between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
The season typically peaks in mid-September, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 The audience for the Oscars peaked in its final half-hour with 21.9 million viewers. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 According to the Forum's report, MPS peaked with 178 buildings in 2008 and had downsized to 150 as of 2022. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 During the Cold War, for example, the United States and the Soviet Union hardly interacted economically: trade between them peaked at a paltry $4.5 billion in 1979; in recent years, the United States and China have generally traded that much every week or two, adjusting for inflation. Jami Miscik, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2024 Card rates rose along with interest rates generally: Federal regulators launched a historic campaign of rate increases to tamp down inflation, which peaked at a 40-year high of over 9% in the summer of 2022. Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 The stock market peaked a few months later, in March 2000. The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 Cases will probably remain high as each variant peaks in succession. Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 As a result, mortgage rates skyrocketed, peaking at just above 8%, after being at historic lows. Alena Botros, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Perhaps an even bigger concern is whether Lake’s political operating costs will leave her with too few resources when the campaign reaches peak interest months from now. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Several factors within the economy are contributing to this shift away from peak employment. Stephen Miles, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 While peak blooming periods can vary depending on the temperature, lucky visitors may be able to catch Japan's cherry blossoms and wisteria blooms in one trip. Talia Avakian, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 Travel Off-Peak Iceland's peak tourist season runs from June to August. David Nikel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 But for other parts of the South America, including Bolivia and the Amazon region as a whole, peak wildfire season typically occurs in September and October, according to Copernicus. NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024 Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, which have peak elevations of 8,200 feet and 8,850 feet, respectively, have received 99 inches or about 8.25 feet of snow. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Regardless of the weight loss intervention, people tend to reach peak weight loss between about nine to 12 months, Ard said. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 16 Feb. 2024 Indeed, the peak financial impact may be recorded in the next financial year (which runs April 2024-March 2025). Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb (1), and Adjective

perhaps alteration of pike

Verb (2)

origin unknown

Verb (3)

from apeak held vertically

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (1)

1887, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adjective

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (3)

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of peak was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near peak

Cite this Entry

“Peak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peak. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

peak

1 of 2 noun
1
: a part of a piece of clothing that is pointed or sticks out
especially : the front part of a cap or hat
2
a
: the top of a hill or mountain
b
: a mountain all by itself
3
: the highest point of development
the peak of perfection
peak adjective

peak

2 of 2 verb
: to reach or cause to come to a peak, point, or maximum

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