peak

noun \ ˈpēk \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of peak

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 hill
—H. 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 : widow's peak

See peak defined for English-language learners

See peak defined for kids

Examples of peak in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of peak from the Web

The number reflects a steep decline in the rate of Iraqi voter participation, which was 62 percent in the 2014 and 2010 elections after a peak of 70 percent in 2005.

— chicagotribune.com, "Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr takes surprise lead in Iraq's election as prime minister falters," 14 May 2018
The number reflects a steep decline in the rate of Iraqi voter participation, which was 62 percent in the 2014 and 2010 elections and hit a peak of 70 percent in 2005.

— Washington Post, "Boycotters shake up Iraq’s election, which was marked by historically low turnout," 13 May 2018
Since a peak during the second world war, the American intercity bus market has lost over 40% of its passengers, mainly to airlines and private cars.

— The Economist, "How Flixbus conquered the European coach market," 10 May 2018
Enrollment dropped from a peak of 77,000 students at one time to just over 15,000 students this year.

— kelsey ryan, kansascity, "Westport is getting a farm. Meet the group that's literally cultivating Kansas City | The Kansas City Star," 10 May 2018
The current groundwater discharge permit allows an average discharge of 2,400 gallons per day, with a peak of 5,000 daily gallons, according to the request.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Mountain Christian Church seeks approval for wastewater treatment facility," 9 May 2018
Have City Hall's efforts to manage a homeless crisis in downtown Los Angeles reached a surreal, authoritarian peak?

— chris barton, latimes.com, "The second season of FX's otherworldly 'Legion' finds an unlikely home in Los Angeles this week," 8 May 2018
There’s a peak in the Peruvian Andes striped with turquoise, yellow, red and purple, like someone threw a giant colorful robe over the ridge.

— marissa fessenden, Smithsonian, "Peru’s Rainbow Mountain Could Be in Danger Following Surge in Popularity," 4 May 2018
A month after its release, the boy band's rising hit reaches a new peak.

— jeff benjamin, Billboard, "Pentagon Earn First Top 10 on World Digital Song Sales Chart With 'Shine'," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peak.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of peak

perhaps alteration of pike

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

peak Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

peak

verb

Definition of peak

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

Recent Examples of peak from the Web

In 2000, the number of travel agents nationwide peaked at about 124,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

— cassie cope, charlotteobserver, "Here's why your flight from Charlotte could cost more this summer — and how to save | Charlotte Observer," 7 May 2018
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak on the night of May 6 into the morning of May 7 as the Earth passes through the debris Halley’s Comet leaves behind each year.

— lyndsey matthews, Popular Mechanics, "The Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend. Here’s How to Watch It.," 19 Apr. 2018
Inflation peaked in 2008 at a year-over-year rate of 89 sextillion (that’s 89 with 21 zeros) percent, with one U.S. dollar equaling anything from 71 billion to 2.5 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars.

— karan mahajan, The New Republic, "After the Strongman," 26 Mar. 2018
Stephen continued, right until his last decade, to co-author technical papers, and speak at premier international conferences—doubly remarkable in a subject where even healthy researchers tend to peak at an early age.

— martin rees, Newsweek, "A Brief History of My Friend Stephen Hawking, the Man Who Changed Our Times," 14 Mar. 2018
Last year, the blooms were expected to peak in mid March (14-17) but a snowstorm came and killed all blossoms that were near peak.

— cailey rizzo, Smithsonian, "Cherry Blossom Forecast 2018: Washington, D.C.’s Peak Bloom Is Arriving Early," 9 Mar. 2018
This would be a stepping stone for 2007, the start of a process that was supposed to peak at Wimbledon and during the American hard-court season.

— chris chase, For The Win, "The 15 moments that have defined Serena Williams' career (so far)," 9 Mar. 2018
Perhaps Truman is a little young — at 12 years old — to peak with a concert at Carnegie Hall.

— katherine jones, idahostatesman, "Young Eagle musician finds his voice at the keyboard; prepares for nationals | Idaho Statesman," 9 Mar. 2018
According to a 2009 study in the American Journal of Cardiology, cases of the syndrome tend to peak in the summer months, while heart attacks spike during the winter.

— amanda gardner, Health.com, "What Is Broken Heart Syndrome–and Can You Actually Die from a Broken Heart?," 14 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of peak

see ¹peak

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1887

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

peak

adjective

Definition of peak

: being at or reaching the maximum

peak levels

peak output

; also : of, relating to, or being a period of maximum intensity or activity

peak business hours

See peak defined for English-language learners

Examples of peak in a Sentence

The factory has been running at peak capacity for the past year.
the peak season for fishing

Recent Examples of peak from the Web

Take part in birding and nature programs on the south shore of Lake Superior during peak migration season May 17-19.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Morel Mushroom Festival, White Deer Triathlon and more to do around Wisconsin," 13 May 2018
But none of those celebrities is one of the greatest athletes in the world, with the demands that being in peak physical condition requires.

— sonia saraiya, HWD, "We’ve Never Seen an Athlete’s Story Quite Like Serena Williams’ HBO Docuseries," 2 May 2018
Getting into peak condition should really help him in the predraft process.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Draft Big Board 6.0: Top 80 Prospects As We Enter the Predraft Process," 9 Apr. 2018
By the end of the first day, online travel forums dedicated to Havasupai falls said the permits had been booked solid from peak season all the way up to the first of April, Villiborghi said.

— amy b wang, azcentral, "It's nearly impossible to get a permit for the Havasupai waterfalls. Here's why," 22 May 2016
The commitment is exhausting and requires peak fitness and concentration, but the rewards can be enormous.

— grant wahl, SI.com, "Masters of Modern Soccer: Christian Pulisic and the Craft of the Attacking Midfielder," 1 May 2018
Broadly speaking, the name of each DisplayHDR level corresponds to its peak brightness: DisplayHDR 400 reaches up to 400 nits of luminance, DisplayHDR600 goes up to 600 nits, and DisplayHDR 1000 reaches up to 1,000.

— jeff dunn, Ars Technica, "Philips launches a 43-inch HDR monitor that reaches 1,000 nits of brightness," 25 Apr. 2018
HOLLYWOOD— The Handmaid’s Tale is critically adored, Emmy-winning, peak-TV entertainment.

— andrea mandell, USA TODAY, "Yep, 'The Handmaid's Tale' cast needs a drink when they watch, too," 20 Apr. 2018
Daniels, 39, arrived in Baltimore at peak public interest for her role in one of the multiple investigations circling the president.

— jean marbella, baltimoresun.com, "In Baltimore, in the flesh, Stormy Daniels," 20 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of peak

see ¹peak

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1903

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

peak

verb

Definition of peak

intransitive verb

1 : to grow thin or sickly

2 : to dwindle away

Origin and Etymology of peak

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

peak

verb

Definition of peak

transitive verb

1 nautical : to set (a gaff, a yard, etc.) nearer the perpendicular

2 rowing : to hold (oars) with blades well raised

Origin and Etymology of peak

from apeak held vertically

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1626

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

PEAK Defined for English Language Learners

peak

noun

Definition of peak for English Language Learners

: the pointed top of a mountain
: a tall mountain with a pointed or narrow top
: something that looks like a pointed top of a mountain

peak

adjective

Definition of peak for English Language Learners

: at the highest point or level
: filled with the most activity

PEAK Defined for Kids

peak

noun \ ˈpēk \

Definition of peak for Students

1 : a prominent mountain

We saw a snowy peak rising from the plain.

2 : the pointed top of a hill or mountain

I climbed all the way to the peak.

3 : a sharp or pointed end

The roof rises to a peak.

4 : the highest point of development

He is at the peak of his career.

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See words that rhyme with peak Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for peak Spanish Central: Translation of peak Nglish: Translation of peak for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of peak for Arabic speakers

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peak

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peek vs. peak vs. pique

Origin and Etymology of peak

peak Synonyms

Synonyms

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Synonym Discussion of peak

Other Geology Terms

peak

Definition of peak

Recent Examples of peak from the Web

Origin and Etymology of peak

peak

Definition of peak

Examples of peak in a Sentence

Recent Examples of peak from the Web

Origin and Etymology of peak

peak

Definition of peak

Origin and Etymology of peak

peak

Definition of peak

Origin and Etymology of peak

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PEAK Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of peak for English Language Learners

peak

Definition of peak for English Language Learners

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peak

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