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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)

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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 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 ² 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 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

This additional region, known as a plateau, was weaker than the primary emission but extended well beyond the previously established energy range.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

We assumed, naively, that my husband’s salary would continue to increase, not that raises would be paused due to university budget concerns, and that once he got tenure, his earnings would essentially plateau.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

Yet traditionally, this is the time workers often treat their career as a plateau, or wait to be pushed out by market shifts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last week that talks had hit a "plateau", with little room for further concessions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

Soon, it would clear the plateau behind us and shine into the gorge.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Researchers reached their conclusions by examining ice cores collected from the Guliya Plateau in 1992 and 2015.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

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

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

These formations are widespread across Utah's Wasatch and Uinta ranges and can also be found on the Colorado Plateau in the La Sal Mountains near Moab.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The Norwegians would parachute onto the Hardanger Plateau and find Jens Poulsson and his team—they were still camped somewhere on the plateau.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

There are strange choices, plateaus and unnecessary dramas, but now there is a mettle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 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

There was nothing but the wide expanse of flat desert, which reached toward the edge of the horizon, where massive sandstone plateaus stood that were as faint and round as orange clouds.

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

From arboreal foothills, we climbed up to bare, boulder-strewn plateaux, before plunging back down to shaded valleys below.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 28, 2020

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

Like the Orange Free State, the Transvaal is an elevated pastoral plateau, or series of plateaux, broken by low ranges of hills.

From The World and Its People: Book VII Views in Africa by Anna B. Badlam

Real disposable incomes in France have largely plateaued.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The optimal range was 5,000 to 7,500 steps daily, after which the effect plateaued.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

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

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

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

The figures - up to 2024-25 - peaked during Covid, before dropping slightly and plateauing.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 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

At the same time, American production growth—a key shock absorber for high prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—appears to be plateauing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

We see North America demand plateauing, but global demand for refined products continuing to rise 1-2% a year.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

Interest in EVs could be plateauing in California, experts said, where adoption rates are higher than the rest of the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025

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Related Words

• elevation
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