top dog

See synonyms for top dog on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person, group, or nation that has acquired a position of highest authority.

  2. the winner of a competition or rivalry; champion: He was determined to be top dog at the swimming meet.

  1. Animal Behavior. the alpha male or alpha female in a dominance hierarchy.

Origin of top dog

1
First recorded in 1885–1900

Other 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

British Dictionary definitions for top dog

top dog

noun
  1. 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

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.