plateau

1 of 2

noun

pla·​teau pla-ˈtō How to pronounce plateau (audio)
ˈpla-ˌtō
plural plateaus also plateaux pla-ˈtōz How to pronounce plateau (audio)
ˈpla-ˌtōz
1
a
: a usually extensive land area having a relatively level surface raised sharply above adjacent land on at least one side : tableland
b
: a similar undersea feature
2
a
: a region of little or no change in a graphic representation
b
: a relatively stable level, period, or condition
3
: a level of attainment or achievement
the 500-point plateau

plateau

2 of 2

verb

plateaued; plateauing; plateaus

intransitive verb

: to reach a level, period, or condition of stability or maximum attainment

Examples of plateau in a Sentence

Noun a plateau covering hundreds of miles The price of gas seems to have reached a plateau. Verb Sales of computers have plateaued in recent years.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hikers will reach a plateau a little after the 2-mile mark. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 After reaching a plateau, however, enrollment started declining as the state began losing population, thanks largely to movements to other states, and as the state’s birthrate dropped dramatically. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 The one quote aside, Lowe doesn’t become the sort of obliviously verbose bad guy that viewers have come to expect from the wave of tech bubble scam documentaries that perhaps started with Alex Gibney’s Enron doc, but began to peak and plateau with the Fyre Festival double dose in 2019. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 Mix up your routine One of the most common reasons for hitting a plateau is sticking with the same workout for too long. Dana Santas, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Each was followed by a plateau period, typically of several years. Emily Baumgaertner Ariana Drehsler, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Scientists are now testing ways to push the plateau down further; a drug could one day be even more effective than bariatric surgery. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2024 Because cats multiply so quickly, at least seventy per cent of a population needs to be sterilized before the numbers will plateau. Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 Its landscape may be mountainous, but its emotional trajectory is a distinct plateau. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Alternatively, flu cases could plateau for a while. Emily Anthes, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022 Rising grain and corn costs eliminate some of the hope that inflation could plateau in the second half of the year. Patrick Thomas and Alistair MacDonald, WSJ, 6 Mar. 2022 Love said health experts are hopeful that cases will plateau or drop off in two to three weeks. Tom Steele, Dallas News, 24 Aug. 2021 Modeling indicates that the area’s outbreak could plateau toward the end of the month and start to abate sometime in February, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during the daily coronavirus briefing. Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, 11 Jan. 2021 But experts fear that without coordinated and sustained efforts, the country will plateau at this high level of cases. Andrew Joseph, STAT, 4 Sep. 2020 Unemployment claims filed with the Texas Workforce Commission have plateaued since peaking in April. Dallas News, 5 June 2020 Both rates have decreased since the survey began and started to plateau in recent weeks. Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 1 June 2020 Despite Tuesday's grim numbers, Beshear and health commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said the rate of new virus cases continues to plateau. Jonathan Bullington, The Courier-Journal, 5 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plateau.' 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

French, from Middle French, platter, from plat flat

First Known Use

Noun

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plateau was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near plateau

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

plateau

noun
pla·​teau
pla-ˈtō,
ˈpla-ˌtō
plural plateaus or plateaux
-ˈtōz,
-ˌtōz
1
: a broad flat area of high land
2
: a stable level, period, or condition
Etymology

Noun

from French plateau "flat land raised above the surrounding land," from early French plateau "platter, plate"

Medical Definition

plateau

noun
pla·​teau pla-ˈtō, ˈpla-ˌ How to pronounce plateau (audio)
plural plateaus also plateaux
-ˈtōz, -ˌtōz
: a relatively flat elevated area see tibial plateau

More from Merriam-Webster on plateau

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