plateau

8 definitions • 8 examples

a large flat area of land that is high above sea level

a period during which there are no large changes:

The US death rate reached a plateau in the 1960s, before declining suddenly.

to reach a particular level and then stay the same:

I'd been losing about a pound a week on my diet, but recently I've plateaued and haven't lost an ounce.

The economic slowdown has caused our sales to plateau.

a large, flat area of land that is higher than the land around it

A plateau is also a period during which there are no big changes:

The crime rate in the city reached a plateau in the 1980s and then declined.

to reach a level and stay there, rather than rising or falling:

The population increase is expected to plateau in the year 2007.

a level beyond which business activities, sales, profits, etc. no longer develop or increase, especially after a period of rapid growth:

reach/hit a plateau Do you believe that the number of people using the internet has now reached a plateau?

to stop developing or increasing, especially after a period of rapid growth:

Analysts believe the market will plateau within the next five years in line with demographic trends.

start/begin to plateau Sales of new cars have begun to plateau after three years of record growth.