Meaning & use
a plateau
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Meanings
nouncountable
A large area of flat land that is higher than the land around it.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a plateau', 'the plateau', 'plateaus'.
Patterns
- on a plateau
- a high plateau
The town sits on a plateau overlooking the valley.
After climbing for hours, we reached a wide plateau covered in grass.
The plateau stretches for miles in every direction.
nouncountablefigurative
A period when something stops increasing or improving and stays at the same level.
Grammar: Often used with verbs like 'reach', 'hit', or 'be on'.
Patterns
- reach a plateau
- hit a plateau
- be on a plateau
My weight loss reached a plateau after three months.
The company's sales hit a plateau last year.
Learning a language often involves periods of rapid progress followed by a plateau.
Word forms
| plural | plateaus |
|---|---|
| plural (formal) | plateaux |
Common combinations
- reach a plateau
- The economy reached a plateau after years of growth.
- high plateau
- The high plateau is cold and dry.
- on a plateau
- The village is built on a plateau.
- hit a plateau
- His training hit a plateau, so he changed his routine.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tableland
- A more technical word for a plateau, often used in geography.
- mesa
- A flat-topped hill with steep sides, smaller than a plateau, common in the American Southwest.
Word family
- plateau verb
- To stop increasing and stay at the same level: 'Sales have plateaued.'
Commonly confused: a plateau or plain? a plateau or plateau?
a plateau vs plain
A plain is flat land at a low level; a plateau is flat land that is high up.
a plateau vs plateau
Do not confuse with 'plate' (a flat dish) or 'platitude' (a boring, obvious remark).
Practice
The hikers finally reached a ____ where they could see the whole valley.
Choose one answer.
'Plateau' fits because it is a flat elevated area with a view. 'Plain' is low flat land, 'valley' is low land between hills, and 'peak' is the top point, not a flat area.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a plateau”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.