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Synonyms

peaked

1 American  
[peekt, pee-kid] / pikt, ˈpi kɪd /

adjective

  1. having a peak.

    a peaked cap.
peaked 2 American  
[pee-kid] / ˈpi kɪd /

adjective

  1. pale and drawn in appearance so as to suggest illness or stress; wan and sickly.

peaked British  
/ piːkt /

adjective

  1. having a peak; pointed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • peakedly adverb
  • peakedness noun

Etymology

Origin of peaked1

First recorded in 1400–50, peaked is from the late Middle English word pekyd; see peak 1, -ed 3

Origin of peaked2

peak 2 + -ed 2

Vocabulary lists containing peaked

Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 6

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Everyone here in Washington DC is daring to believe the crisis has peaked.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

This year, the Sierra snowpack peaked on Feb. 25.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Alternatively, interest in weight-loss drugs may have peaked already.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

Her recording peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the list for 22 weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

It must have peaked somewhere in the stratosphere, because this time it came down screaming.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.