plateaunoun [ C ]
uk/ˈplæt.əʊ/us/plætˈoʊ/plural plateaux uk/-z/usor mainlyUS plateausplateau noun [ C ] (FLAT LAND)
a large flat area of land that is high above sea level
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Geography: hills & mountains
- alpine
- arête
- Ben
- butte
- cirque
- cliff
- clifftop
- col
- drumlin
- hilltop
- hilly
- hummock
- incline
- knoll
- mountainous
- Mountains
- mountainside
- orographic
- ridge
- shelf
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plateau noun [ C ] (NO CHANGE)
a period during which there are no large changes:
The US death rate reached a plateau in the 1960s, before declining suddenly.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Pauses & interludes
- abeyance
- adjourn
- break
- break-journey
- caesura
- coffee break
- comfort stop
- hiatus
- interlude
- interval
- lapse
- lull
- one-stop
- pause
- postpone
- respite
- stop
- stoppage
- suspension
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plateauverb [ I ]
uk/ˈplæt.əʊ/us/plætˈoʊ/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.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Keeping and staying the same
- consistency
- consistent
- continuum
- control
- fastness
- firm
- flat
- invariant
- leave
- leave well alone idiom
- level
- level off
- remain
- seamless
- stable
- steadfastly
- steady
- unchanged
- undisturbed
- wallow in sth
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