tops
Americanadjective
adverb
noun
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of tops
First recorded in 1930–35; plural of top 1
Explanation
Are you the very best chess player in your state? Then you're the tops. Something or someone that's tops is outstanding or of the highest quality. You can use the informal tops to describe things or people that are unmatched or topmost, like your amazing high school, considered to be tops among all public schools in the country. It can also mean something closer to "awesome," as when you say, "Did you taste that new flavor of potato chip? It's tops!" Tops first appeared in 1935 as American slang.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the November 13, 2025, print edition as 'Dow Tops 48000 Milestone Even as Tech Lags'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
“As the last living founding member of the iconic The Four Tops music group, we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music for generations to come.”
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024
Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving founding member of the Motown vocal group the Four Tops, has died.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024
To mark the second anniversary of the shooting on Tuesday, Tops Friendly Markets will dedicate another memorial near the store and hold a moment of silence at 2:28 p.m., the time of the attack.
From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024
Tops of tansy for yellow, and greenwood for yellow too.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
