/ piːk; NAmE / noun , verb , adjective
■ noun
1.
[ usually sing. ] the point when sb/sth is best, most successful, strongest, etc.
SYN height :
Traffic reaches its peak between 8 and 9 in the morning.
She's at the peak of her career.
the peaks and troughs of married life
—compare off-peak
2.
the pointed top of a mountain; a mountain with a pointed top :
a mountain peak
snow-capped / jagged peaks
The climbers made camp halfway up the peak.
3.
any narrow and pointed shape, edge, etc. :
Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks.
4.
( BrE ) ( NAmE bill , visor ) the stiff front part of a cap that sticks out above your eyes
—picture at baseball cap
■ verb
[ v ] to reach the highest point or value :
Oil production peaked in the early 1980s.
Unemployment peaked at 17%.
an athlete who peaks (= produces his or her best performance) at just the right time
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] used to describe the highest level of sth, or a time when the greatest number of people are doing sth or using sth :
It was a time of peak demand for the product.
March is one of the peak periods for our business.
The athletes are all in peak condition .
We need extra help during the peak season .
—compare off-peak
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: probably a back-formation from peaked , variant of dialect picked pointed .