What does "peak" mean?
A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
Peak
/piːk/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
- Grammar: peak is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acme, apex, crest, pinnacle.
- Useful contrasts: italian valle, abysses, adhara.
- Usage evidence: The excitement reached its peak.
How to use "peak"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "peak" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "peak" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "peak" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "peak" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "peak" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acme" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "peak", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
"A less risky method is to lift your whisk or beater to check the condition of the peaks of the egg whites; the foam should be just stiff enough to stand up in well-defined, unwavering peaks."
- 2 Alternative form of peag (“wampum”). alt-of, alternative, uncountable
- 3 a brim that projects to the front to shade the eyes wordnet
- 4 The highest value reached by some quantity in a time period.
"The stock market reached a peak in September 1929."
- 5 the top or extreme point of something (usually a mountain or hill) wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 The top, or one of the tops, of a hill, mountain, or range, ending in a point.
"They reached the peak after 8 hours of climbing."
- 7 the highest point (of something) wordnet
- 8 The whole hill or mountain, especially when isolated.
"To the South we observed a large plain some ten miles wide, with snowy peaks rising on the farther side. In front was a hill projecting into the plain, on which stood a mani wall; and this latter discovery made me feel quite confident that I was on the high road to Lhassa."
- 9 the most extreme possible amount or value wordnet
- 10 visor (horizontal part of a cap sticking out in front and shading the wearer's eyes) UK
- 11 a V shape wordnet
- 12 The upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail.
"peak-halyards"
- 13 the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development wordnet
- 14 The narrow part of a vessel's bow, or the hold within it.
- 15 the period of greatest prosperity or productivity wordnet
- 16 The extremity of an anchor fluke; the bill.
- 17 A local maximum of a function, e.g. for sine waves, each point at which the value of y is at its maximum.
- 18 Something of exceptional quality. Internet, uncountable
"There's so much peak on this website!"
Verb
- 1 To raise the point of (a gaff) closer to perpendicular. transitive
- 2 To become sick or wan. intransitive
- 3 Misspelling of pique. alt-of, misspelling
- 4 to reach the highest point; attain maximum intensity, activity wordnet
- 5 To exceed the maximum signal amplitude of (a piece of equipment), resulting in clipping of the signal. transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To acquire sharpness of figure or features; hence, to look thin or sickly. intransitive
"Dwindle, peak, and pine."
- 7 To reach a highest degree or maximum. intransitive
"Historians argue about when the Roman Empire began to peak and ultimately decay."
- 8 To pry; to peep slyly. intransitive
- 9 To rise or extend into a peak or point; to form, or appear as, a peak. intransitive
"There peaketh up a mightie high mounte."
- 10 Ellipsis of peak trans. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"I came to this via sport but the thing that really peaked me was this."
Adjective
- 1 At the greatest extent; maximum.
"peak oil, Peak TV"
- 2 Maximal, quintessential, archetypical, strictly with positive connotations; representing the culmination of its type. slang
"Knowing obscure 19th-century slang is peak nerd."
- 3 Bad. Multicultural-London-English
"When they're tryna get the girl to the crib and she leaves, it's peak / Tryna keep it discreet and she tweets, it's peak / See me rolling with 20 man deep, it's peak / Yo rudeboy, pull up, repeat, it's peak"
- 4 Unlucky; unfortunate. Multicultural-London-English
"You didn't get a spot? That's peak."
- 5 Very good or high-quality. Internet
"That movie last night was so peak."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The excitement reached its peak."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "peak"?
Common synonyms include: acme, apex, crest, pinnacle, summit, top.
How do you use "peak" in a sentence?
The excitement reached its peak.
How do you pronounce "peak"?
Pronounced /piːk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From earlier peake, peek, peke, from Middle English pek (in place names), itself an alteration of pike, pyke, pyk (“a sharp point, pike”), from Old English pīc, piic (“a pike, needle, pin, peak, pinnacle”), from Proto-West Germanic *pīk, from Proto-Germanic *pīkaz (“peak”). Cognate with Dutch piek (“pike, point, summit, peak”), Danish pik (“pike, peak”), Swedish pik (“pike, lance, point, peak”), Norwegian pik (“peak, summit”). More at pike.
Etymology 2
Unknown. Perhaps related to Etymology 1 above in the sense of "becoming pointed" through emaciation.
Etymology 3
* As an English surname, from several placenames in England derived from the noun peak or its source. * Also as an English surname, shortened from Peacock. * As an Irish surname, shortened from McPeak.