noun
plateau
PLA-toh
noun
1
A large area of relatively flat, elevated land.
"The road climbs steeply before opening onto a wide plateau."
2
A period during which something that was rising levels off and stays roughly stable.
"His weight loss hit a plateau after the first month."
verb
1
To stop rising or improving and level off at a stable point.
"Sales plateaued after the initial launch surge."
How to Use Plateau
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA high flat area of land, or a point where progress levels off instead of continuing to rise.
Common pairings
reach a plateau
high plateau
plateau off
Word Forms
plateaued past tense, plateaus plural, plateaux plural, plateaus singular
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The road climbs steeply before opening onto a wide _____.
Etymology
Borrowed from French plateau, a diminutive of plat, "flat" — the same root as "plate."