Definition of 'peak'

Learner: peak Video pronunciation English: peak American: peak 1 Specialist English: peak Example sentences Word partners

peak

(piːk   )
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense peaks   , present participle peaking   , past tense, past participle peaked  
1. countable noun [usually singular]
The peak of a process or an activity is the point at which it is at its strongest, most successful, or most fully developed.
The party's membership has fallen from a peak of fifty-thousand after the Second World War. [+ of]  
The bomb went off in a concrete dustbin at the peak of the morning rush hour. [+ of]  
...a flourishing career that was at its peak at the time of his death.  
Economies have peaks and troughs.  
Synonyms: high point, crown, climax, culmination   More Synonyms of peak
2. verb
When something peaks, it reaches its highest value or its highest level.
Temperatures have peaked at over thirty degrees Celsius. [VERB + at]  
The crisis peaked in July 1974. [VERB]  
His career peaked during the 1970s. [VERB]  
Synonyms: culminate, climax, come to a head, be at its height   More Synonyms of peak
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
The peak level or value of something is its highest level or value.
Calls cost 36p (cheap rate) and 48p (peak rate) per minute.  
We bought it at the wrong time and paid the peak price.  
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Peak times are the times when there is most demand for something or most use of something.
It's always crowded at peak times.  
During peak periods, reservations are difficult to make at some of the hotels.  
5.  See also peak time
6. countable noun
A peak is a mountain or the top of a mountain.
...the snow-covered peaks.  
Synonyms: point, top, tip, summit   More Synonyms of peak
7. countable noun
The peak of a cap is the part at the front that sticks out above your eyes.
The man touched the peak of his cap.  
More Synonyms of peak
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

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peak

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peak in British English

(piːk   )
noun
1. 
a pointed end, edge, or projection
the peak of a roof
2. 
the pointed summit of a mountain
3. 
a mountain with a pointed summit
4. 
the point of greatest development, strength, etc
the peak of my career
5. 
a. 
a sharp increase in a physical quantity followed by a sharp decrease
a voltage peak
b. 
the maximum value of this quantity
c. 
(as modifier)
peak voltage
6.  Also called: visor
a projecting piece on the front of some caps
7. 
a.  See widow's peak
b. 
the pointed end of a beard
8.  nautical
a. 
the extreme forward ( forepeak) or aft ( afterpeak) part of the hull
b. 
(of a fore-and-aft quadrilateral sail) the after uppermost corner
c. 
the after end of a gaff
verb
9. (transitive) nautical
to set (a gaff) or tilt ( oars) vertically
10. 
to form or reach or cause to form or reach a peak or maximum
adjective
11. 
of or relating to a period of highest use or demand, as for watching television, commuting, etc
peak viewing hours
peak time
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
peaky (ˈpeaky) or peakish (ˈpeakish)
adjective
Word origin
C16: perhaps from pike2, influenced by beak1; compare Spanish pico, French pic, Middle Low German pēk

peak in American English 1

(pik   )
noun
1. 
a tapering part that projects; pointed end or top, as of a cap, roof, etc.
2. 
part of the hairline coming to a point on the forehead; widow's peak
3.  Rare
a promontory
4. 
a. 
the crest or summit of a hill or mountain ending in a point
b. 
a mountain with such a pointed summit
5. 
the highest or utmost point of anything; height; maximum
the peak of production
6.  Electricity
the maximum value of a varying quantity during a specified period
7.  Nautical
a. 
the top, after corner of a gaff sail
b. 
the upper end of the gaff
c. 
the narrowed part of the hull, forward or aft
8.  Phonetics
the most sonorous portion of a syllable
adjective
9. 
maximum
peak production
verb transitive, verb intransitive
10. 
to tilt up, as a spar or oar
11. 
to come or cause to come to a peak; reach or bring to a high, or the highest, point
SIMILAR WORDS:  ˈsummit
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
var. of pike5

peak in American English 2

(pik   )
verb intransitive
to become sickly; waste away; droop
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

peak in Electrical Engineering

(pik)
adjective
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Electrical power)
The peak value is the maximum value of an alternating or other waveform.
The peak current observed subsequent to the fault occurrence is essentially due to discharging of the inverter output capacitors.
Since an alternating voltage of 500 volts (rms) has a peak value of 707 volts, a capacitor to which it is applied should have a working voltage of at least 750 volts.
The peak value is the maximum value of an alternating or other waveform.
peak load, peak-to-peak value
COBUILD Key Words for Electrical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Examples of 'peak' in a sentence
peak

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
The Sun (2016)
In peak season it could take an hour to go one way.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This one is still at peak performance three months in.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This is intended to speed up sales processing and provide better service online regardless of demand peaks during busy trading periods.
Computing (2010)
So peaks just above the mountain classification of 2,000ft may now be a few inches too short.
The Sun (2016)
At the peak of his career in the mid-1960s he was so busy that he rarely had time to go home.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
 Autumn has reached its peak.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He added:' Exactly when the peaks in activity occur can vary.
The Sun (2016)
Peak demand now came on summer days rather than winter nights.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
To wake up and see lochs and mountain peaks gliding past is to feel still more so.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It will be especially useful for areas with peak use.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Whisk to soft peaks then set aside.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Whisk egg whites to form soft peaks and fold in to yolk and prawn mix.
The Sun (2014)
The great actor had serious struggles with choking while at the peak of his career.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We rolled along towards the white towns looking like summer snow caps atop the peaks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The optimal solution is found when you have reached a peak on the utility surface.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
 Twenty years is enough time for troughs and peaks.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Most of the passengers closed their eyes and prayed as the aircraft lurched above the peaks.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We offer multiple connections during peak turnover times.
Christianity Today (2000)
That is why hoping that the peak of the crisis is past does not make it so.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
How much of peak demand should its service system be designed to satisfy?
Davidow, William H. & Uttal, Bro Total Customer Service (The Ultimate Weapon) (1990)
The warm haze of the metropolis beyond spreads low over the base of a mountain peak.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
That was the peak of his career.
Barrett, J (ed) ITF World of Tennis (1993)
 Signs of strain suggest that the smartphone segment has perhaps reached its peak.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The wheat or mustard should be dug up and burned just before the end of these peak periods.
The Sun (2011)
It can also suck cheap electricity from the grid in the middle of the night for use in peak daytime hours.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The subsequent slump wiped out 49% of peak values.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
More often than not, companies face higher costs during peak periods, which can explain the higher prices charged.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
A generation which should have peaked at the World Cup was allowed to become an egotistical rabble.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)

COBUILD Collocations
peak
 

absolute peak
peak performance
popularity peak
rocky peak
scale a peak
sharp peak
snow-capped peak
snowy peak
soft peaks
stiff peaks
tallest peak
twin peaks
volcanic peak

In other languages

British English: peak   /piːk/ NOUN
The peak of a process or activity is the point at which it is at its strongest, most successful, or most fully developed.
...the peak of the morning rush hour.
  • American English: peak   /ˈpik/
  • Arabic: ذُرْوَةٌ  
  • Brazilian Portuguese: pico  
  • Chinese: 顶峰  
  • Croatian: vrhunac  
  • Czech: vrchol   činnosti
  • Danish: højdepunkt  
  • Dutch: piek  
  • European Spanish: pico   monte
  • Finnish: huippu  
  • French: pic  
  • German: Gipfel  
  • Greek: κορυφή  
  • Italian: picco  
  • Japanese: 尖端  
  • Korean: 뾰족한 끝  
  • Norwegian: topp  
  • Polish: szczyt   wierzchołek
  • European Portuguese: pico  
  • Romanian: apogeu
  • Russian: вершина  
  • Latin American Spanish: pico   cúspide
  • Swedish: topp  
  • Thai: จุดสูงสุด  
  • Turkish: zirve  
  • Ukrainian: пік
  • Vietnamese: đỉnh  
British English: peak   ADJECTIVE /piːk/
The peak level or value of something is its highest level or value.
Today's price is lower than the peak level.
  • American English: peak   /ˈpik/
  • Brazilian Portuguese: de pico  
  • Chinese: 高峰的时期
  • European Spanish: máximo  
  • French: de pointe  
  • German: Spitzen-  
  • Italian: di punta  
  • Japanese: 最高の
  • Korean: 최고의
  • European Portuguese: de pico  
  • Latin American Spanish: máximo  
British English: peak   VERB /piːk/
When something peaks, it reaches its highest value or its highest level.
Temperatures have peaked at over thirty degrees.
  • American English: peak   /ˈpik/
  • Brazilian Portuguese: atingir o máximo  
  • Chinese: 达到峰值
  • European Spanish: alcanzar el valor máximo  
  • French: atteindre un maximum  
  • German: den Höchststand erreichen  
  • Italian: raggiungere il culmine  
  • Japanese: 頂点に達する
  • Korean: 최고점에 달하다
  • European Portuguese: atingir o máximo  
  • Latin American Spanish: alcanzar el valor máximo  

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Related terms of
peak

Source

Definition of peak from the Collins English Dictionary
Word of the day
plenilunar
relating to a full moon
Scrabble score
for 'peak':
10
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