peak

Other forms: peaks; peaked; peaking

Use the word peak to refer to the pointy top of something, such as the jagged peak of a tall mountain or the tapered peak that forms when you beat egg whites for a recipe.

Peak is one of those words that can play a variety of roles in a sentence. The noun peak can refer to something that is a literal highpoint, like that snow-covered peak over there in the distance, but you will also hear it used to refer to more abstract high points, such as a time of greatest success ("at the peak of your career") or top performance ("the stock price reached a peak over the summer") or highest level ("the peak of the flu season"). The word also has a verb form ("Don’t peak too soon") and an adjective form ("peak productivity") that carry similar meanings.