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• plateau
  plateau

  noun

  a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.
• Plateau
  Plateau

  noun

  a state of central Nigeria, formed in 1976 from part of Benue-Plateau State: tin mining. Capital: Jos. Pop: 3 178 712 (2006). Area: 30 913 sq km (11 936 sq miles)

plateau

American  

[pla-toh, plat-oh] / plæˈtoʊ, ˈplæt oʊ /

noun

• plateaus,
  plural
• plateaux
  plural

1. 

   a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.

2. a period or state of little or no growth or decline.

   to reach a plateau in one's career.

3. Psychology. a period of little or no apparent progress in an individual's learning, marked by an inability to increase speed, reduce number of errors, etc., and indicated by a horizontal stretch in a learning curve or graph.

4. a flat stand, as for a centerpiece, sometimes extending the full length of a table.

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verb (used without object)

plateaued, plateauing

1. to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off.

   After a period of uninterrupted growth, sales began to plateau.

verb (used with object)

plateaued, plateauing

1. to cause to remain at a stable level, especially to prevent from rising or progressing.

   Rising inflation plateaued sales income.

plateau ¹ British  

/ ˈplætəʊ /

noun

1. a wide mainly level area of elevated land

2. a relatively long period of stability; levelling off

   the rising prices reached a plateau

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verb

1. to remain at a stable level for a relatively long period

Plateau ² British  

/ ˈplætəʊ /

noun

1. a state of central Nigeria, formed in 1976 from part of Benue-Plateau State: tin mining. Capital: Jos. Pop: 3 178 712 (2006). Area: 30 913 sq km (11 936 sq miles)

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plateau Scientific  

/ plă-tō′ /

1. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land. Plateaus make up about 45 percent of the Earth's land surface.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• plateaus
  plural
• plateaux
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of plateau

1785–95; < French; Old French platel flat object, diminutive of plat plate ¹

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Explanation

A plateau is a high, flat area of land. The word has also been stretched to include a leveling off of progress. At first the children at the sleepover were running wild, but then their energy level reached a plateau. You can see the word plate inside plateau. Think flat like a plate, or think about mountains that look like tables you could set with plates — so flat the plates won't fall off. If you're a French speaker, this will be easier, as plateau derives from the French plat, "level."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plateau Plateau plateaus plateaux plateaued plateauing

Affin Hwang downgrades Press Metal to hold from buy, and cuts its target price to 7.70 ringgit from 9.40 ringgit, citing less-favorable raw material price trends and a plateau in aluminium price momentum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

He added that the company remains reliant on a subscription business that could be approaching a plateau.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

But Chatfield eventually hit a spiritual plateau that organized religion couldn’t fill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

But if life expectancy has truly reached a plateau, therapies aimed at the biology of aging itself could become one of the paths scientists explore in an effort to push that limit higher.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

If we can get onto it from the slopes of the nearer volcano, it may provide us a road up onto the plateau of ice.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

While the largest absolute increases are expected in already vulnerable areas, including India's Garhwal and Kumaon regions and Nepal, the greatest relative increase is projected on the Tibetan Plateau.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Cochlostoma dobrido," was named after the Dobri Do Plateau, located among the peaks of Durmitor National Park.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

The flash flood, which began about 2:30 pm on Saturday, was caused by rainfall on the Kaibab Plateau, it said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Alex, 37, said selling her jewellery at the Christmas market on St George's Plateau for the past five years had been a "really great place to be".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Later in the afternoon, they rested at a spot where they could look out to the east over the Plateau of Drume.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

The topology of that state fixes the values of the steps and plateaus, making them resistant to disturbances and defects.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Multiple employees were perfecting the already-perfect plateaus of bell peppers and apples in the produce section.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

“Free cash flow per share grows even as revenue plateaus or declines slightly. The companies that execute this transition well are going to emerge as leaner, more profitable versions of themselves,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026

Tesla’s stock revalues and sits at new plateaus every time it achieves one of its big goals, such as launching the best-selling car, electric or otherwise, in the world, an achievement of Tesla’s Model Y.

From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026

Shadows dripped like dark purple paint down the fiery orange sides on the rocky plateaus in the distance.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Connecting the realms, Martine sells crepes in the summer to members of the communes, who venture down from their fields and plateaux for this staple of French cuisine.

From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2023

Currently, it expects wage growth to plateaux around 3.9% late next year and into 2024.

From Reuters ● Nov. 16, 2022

As to the poets who made it into Dear World, there are predictable highs, plateaux and crescendi.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 12, 2013

But with the new edition opening to just $21.5 million — less than either of the previous sequels, in real or inflated dollars — it will have trouble reaching those plateaux.

From Time ● Apr. 8, 2012

European fruits, flowers, and vegetables can be easily and largely cultivated on the highest plateaux of the Sierra Maestra.

From Cuba Past and Present by Richard Davey

In some sports, including Premier League football, the money which leagues and clubs are earning from TV rights is by far their biggest source of income, but has plateaued to an extent in recent years.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The stock rallied from late 2023 to early 2025, but has plateaued since because investors are worried about how long the momentum could last.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

And that has happened even as Tesla's car production numbers have plateaued.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

But revenue plateaued, and the convention pipeline was a little softer, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

My stock plummeted, and by high school, it plateaued.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Additionally, BT is shifting from a phase of decline to one of stabilization as Openreach line losses seem to be plateauing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Experts say that doctors should be able to offer treatment when other symptoms are present, such as plateauing pregnancy hormone levels, bleeding and abdominal pain.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

With pandemic-era stimulus initiatives long forgotten, home prices plateauing, and investor portfolios pointing down, consumer sentiment has little reason to improve.

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

"There is also mounting evidence that the country's emissions are plateauing, with this year's levels expected to be lower than in 2024," said Li Shuo.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025

At the same time, demand for electric vehicles is plateauing as the market gets saturated, Brauer said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025

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Related Words

• elevation
• highland
• plain

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