1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

plateau 1 of 2

noun

pla-ˈtō How to pronounce plateau (audio)
Definition of plateaunext
as in mesa
a broad flat area of elevated land Native Americans have inhabited the plateau for centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

plateau

2 of 2

verb

as in to stabilize

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plateau
Noun
But another frontier remains to be realized, one in which MU ascends from this fine plateau to make good on the sort of top-tier promise implied by the school’s now-enormous commitment to football. — Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 The shoulder of the plateau gave me complete cover from the snow leopard beneath. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
Ivan learned rapidly for the first year and then seemed to plateau. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 These are the skills that will separate workers who thrive from those who plateau. — Dan Schawbel, CNBC, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for plateau
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plateau
  1. mesa
  2. stabilize
  3. highland
  4. tableland
  5. altiplano
Noun
  • Los Alamos, not far from Santa Fe, sits at the foot of Pajarito Mountain in a land of canyons and mesas.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Beginning in the late 1960s, artists abandoned galleries in favour of deserts, salt flats, mesas, and remote terrain, using these surroundings as both setting and material.
    — Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026
Definition of mesa
Verb
  • Michigan brought Whittingham in to stabilize a program following the firing and arrest of Sherrone Moore, who lasted just two seasons.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Flight controllers managed to slow the tumble and stabilize the spacecraft, using up precious fuel.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of stabilize
Noun
  • Rather than following the Ring Road, a 4x4 safari ventures deep into the highlands and across isolated farmlands.
    — Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
  • My walk took me over the peaks and ridges of the Eastern highlands, on a narrow footpath that rose and fell thousands of feet in the course of an average day.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of highland
Noun
  • Only a depression in the ground remains at the Ingalls Dugout Site, but eagle-eyed visitors can still spot the spring, tablelands, thickets of plum trees, and other landmarksr described in the book of the same name.
    — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 22 June 2026
  • Pedro Cervantes painted jewellike vistas of New Mexico’s tablelands.
    — John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of tableland
Noun
  • Built in the late 19 th century to transport the altiplano’s abundant metals and minerals, the railway line once ran from Bolivia’s de facto capital La Paz to the Pacific port of Antofagasta in Chile.
    — The Editors, Outside, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Tiwanaku communities first emerged in an altiplano, or high plain, of the Andes called the Titicaca Basin, named after Lake Titicaca.
    — Gina Park, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Definition of altiplano

Browse Nearby Words

plate
plateau
plateaued
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plateau.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plateau. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on plateau

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plateau

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All