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Definition of plateau noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

plateau

noun
 
/ˈplætəʊ/
 
/plæˈtəʊ/
(plural plateaux
 
/ˈplætəʊz/
 
/plæˈtəʊz/
, plateaus)
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  1. an area of flat land that is higher than the land around it
    • The summit is a windswept plateau of scattered rocks.
    • From a narrow fringe of coastal plain, the main island rises to a central plateau.
    Topics Geographyc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • high
    • broad
    • vast
    verb + plateau
    • reach
    plateau + verb
    • overlook something
    preposition
    • across a/​the plateau
    See full entry
  2. a time of little or no change after a period of growth or progress
    • Inflation has reached a plateau.
    • The children's standard of reading seems to have reached a plateau.
    Topics Moneyc2
  3. Word Originlate 18th cent.: from French, from Old French platel, diminutive of plat ‘level’.
See plateau in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee plateau in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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