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UK/tɒp/ US/tʰɒp/ very common informal slang uk
noun (11) adjective (2) verb (10)

noun

1.

the upper part of anything

  • “the mower cuts off the tops of the grass”
  • “the title should be written at the top of the first page”
2.

the highest or uppermost side of anything

  • “put your books on top of the desk”
  • “only the top side of the box was painted”
Synonyms
3.

the top point of a mountain or hill

  • “the view from the peak was magnificent”
  • “they clambered to the summit of Monadnock”
Synonyms
4.

the first half of an inning; while the visiting team is at bat

  • “a relief pitcher took over in the top of the fifth”
Synonyms
Antonyms
5.

the highest level or degree attainable

  • “his landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty”
  • “the artist”
  • “;”
  • “;”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
6.

the greatest possible intensity

  • “he screamed at the top of his lungs”
7.

platform surrounding the head of a lower mast

8.

a conical child''s plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin

  • “he got a bright red top and string for his birthday”
Synonyms
9.

covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container)

  • “he removed the top of the carton”
  • “he couldn”
  • “;”
Synonyms
10.

a garment (especially for women) that extends from the shoulders to the waist or hips

  • “he stared as she buttoned her top”
11.

a canvas tent to house the audience at a circus performance

  • “he was afraid of a fire in the circus tent”
  • “they had the big top up in less than an hour”
Synonyms

adjective

1.

situated at the top or highest position

  • “the top shelf”
Antonyms
Similar
2.

not to be surpassed

  • “his top effort”
Synonyms
Similar

verb

1.

go beyond

  • “She exceeded our expectations”
  • “She topped her performance of last year”
Synonyms
2.

pass by, over, or under without making contact

  • “the balloon cleared the tree tops”
Synonyms
3.

be at the top of or constitute the top or highest point

  • “A star tops the Christmas Tree”
4.

be ahead of others; be the first

  • “she topped her class every year”
Synonyms
5.

provide with a top

  • “the towers were topped with conical roofs”
6.

reach or ascend the top of

  • “The hikers topped the mountain just before noon”
7.

strike (the top part of a ball in golf, baseball, or pool) giving it a forward spin

8.

cut the top off

  • “top trees and bushes”
Synonyms
9.

be the culminating event

  • “The speech crowned the meeting”
Synonyms
10.

finish up or conclude

  • “They topped off their dinner with a cognac”
  • “top the evening with champagne”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English top, toppe, from Old English topp (“top, highest part; summit; crest; tassel, tuft; (spinning) top, ball; a tuft or ball at the highest point of anything”), from Proto-West Germanic *topp, from Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“braid, pigtail, end”), of unknown ultimate origin. Compare typologically Latin apex (<< Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“to join, attach, fasten, fit”)). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Top (“top”), Cimbrian sòpf (“braid”), Dutch top (“top, summit, peak”), German Topp (“top of a mast”), Zopf (“braid, pigtail, plait, top”), Luxembourgish Zapp (“plait, tress”), Vilamovian cöp (“braid, plait”), Yiddish צאָפּ (tsop, “braid”), Danish top (“top”), Icelandic toppur (“top”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish topp (“top, peak, summit, tip”), Italian zuffa (“brawl”). The sense of a spinning toy is separated from this, obscurely related to Dutch top and dop in this sense, against Standard Dutch tol, and French toupie having this sense.

Phrases

  • a few roos loose in the top paddock
  • a kangaroo loose in the top paddock
  • a roo loose in the top paddock
  • crazy top downy mildew
  • kangaroos in the top paddock
  • top 40
  • top antiquark
  • top banana
  • top from the bottom
  • top it all
  • top it all off
  • top it off

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Parts

Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.