top dog
a person, group, or nation that has acquired a position of highest authority.
the winner of a competition or rivalry; champion: He was determined to be top dog at the swimming meet.
Animal Behavior. the alpha male or alpha female in a dominance hierarchy.
Origin of top dog
1Other words from top dog
- top-dog, adjective
Words Nearby top dog
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use top dog in a sentence
Reinforce your pup’s positive behavior with these top dog treats.
Best dog crate: These indestructible pet products for the home keep your pup cozy and safe | Irena Collaku | July 13, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIf you spend unending hours on trains and planes, or around coworkers that chew loudly during lunch, investing in the top dog noise cancelling might be worth it for you.
The Bose noise-cancelling headphones 700 are the strongest around | empire | June 25, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIn fact, becoming top dog is so fraught that many observers suspect that Colin Huang—founder of e-commerce firm Pinduoduo—purposely divested company stock last year to avoid becoming the country’s wealthiest individual.
How China Is Cracking Down on Its Once Untouchable Tech Titans | Charlie Campbell / Shanghai | May 20, 2021 | TimeIt’s good to the be the top dog at Coinbase—better than it is to be the chief of JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs, if CEO Brian Armstrong’s total pay is anything to go by.
Coinbase’s CEO got paid three times Goldman’s CEO in 2020—and other pre-IPO surprises | John Detrixhe | April 12, 2021 | QuartzREAD MORE ON OZYThese trends will determine whether China emerges as the world’s top dog.
In any event, for the Kudo-kai, the police arrest of their top dog is expected to have the impact of a well-thrown hand grenade.
If Ben Affleck is the top dog at the rear of the party, Taylor Swift is the center of attention at the front of it.
Partying With the Golden Globes Stars: Taylor Swift Cuts a Rug, Ben Affleck Holds Court, and More | Marlow Stern | January 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNot of a top dog, as This Morning remains comfortably in third, but one that says to those other guys, “We are coming for you.”
‘CBS This Morning’ Success Brings With It a Certain Swagger | David Freedlander | July 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTGoogle could spend less on development, and still maintain its position as top dog.
But his immediate task is to reassure his supporters that he is still top dog.
Vladimir Putin Wins Russia Election, but It’s a Fragile Victory | Owen Matthews, Anna Nemtsova | March 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTGo back on my hand-shake, just to be top dog and get the bones!
The Snow-Burner | Henry OyenThey were not weakly addicted to half measures in those days, whichever side was "top dog."
Highways and Byways in The Border | Andrew LangAnd Ive got the best grey matter in this camp, and Im going to be top dog as a matter of course.
The Snow-Burner | Henry OyenIf youd had a mind superior to Moirs youd be top dog here, with Moir fetching bones for you.
The Snow-Burner | Henry OyenShe wondered if they met, who would come out top-dog; so she phrased it in her quick brain.
The Solitary Farm | Fergus Hume
British Dictionary definitions for top dog
informal the leader or chief of a group
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with top dog
see top banana.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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