bottom
the lowest or deepest part of anything, as distinguished from the top: the bottom of a hill;the bottom of a page;the tea leaves at the bottom of my cup.
the under or lower side; underside: The sell-by date is printed on the bottom of the package.
the ground under any body of water: The study sent a camera to the bottom of the sea.
Usually bottoms .Also called bottom land .Physical Geography. low alluvial land next to a river.
the seat of a chair: Don't sit in that one, the bottom is broken.
the fundamental part; basic aspect.
lowest limit, especially of dignity, status, or rank: When people sink that low, they're bound to reach the bottom soon.
bottoms, (used with a plural verb) the bottom part of a two-piece article of clothing, such as a bathing suit or a pair of pajamas.
Baseball.
the second half of an inning.
the last three players in the batting order.
Nautical.
the part of a hull between the bilges, including the keel.
the part of a hull that is immersed at all times.
the cargo space in a vessel.
a cargo vessel.
the working part of a plow, comprising the plowshare, landside, and moldboard.
Slang. : Compare top1 (def. 19). See also vers.
(in the LGBTQ community) a person who prefers to take or is currently taking a receptive role in a particular sexual act, especially in anal intercourse.
(especially in BDSM) a person who prefers to take or is currently taking a submissive role in a sexual relationship.
Usually bottoms .Chemistry. the heaviest, least volatile fraction of petroleum, left behind in distillation after more volatile fractions are driven off.
to furnish with an under or lowest side: The oven needed to be bottomed before it could be used.
to base or found (usually followed by on or upon): A defense must be bottomed on reliable evidence.
to discover the full meaning of (something); fathom.
to bring (a submarine) to rest on the ocean floor: They had to bottom the sub until the enemy cruisers had passed by.
to be based; rest.
to strike against the bottom or end; reach the bottom.
(of an automotive vehicle) to sink vertically, as when bouncing after passing over a bump, so that the suspension reaches the lower limit of its motion: The car bottomed too easily on the bumpy road.
Slang. : Compare top1 (def. 41). See also vers.
(in the LGBTQ community) to take a receptive role in a particular sexual act, especially in anal intercourse.
(especially in BDSM) to take a submissive role in a sexual relationship or encounter.
of or relating to the bottom or a bottom.
located on or at the lowest part or side: I want the bottom book in the stack.
lowest: They sold off the last of the stock at bottom prices.
living near or on the bottom: A flounder is a bottom fish.
fundamental: The bottom cause of the issue is a lack of funding.
bottom out, to reach the lowest state or level: The declining securities market finally bottomed out and began to rise.
Idioms about bottom
at bottom, in reality; fundamentally: They knew at bottom that they were only deceiving themselves.: Also at the bottom .
bet one's bottom dollar,
to wager the last of one's money or resources.
to be positive or assured: You can bet your bottom dollar that something will prevent us from leaving on time.
bottoms up, (used as an interjection to announce or urge the downing of one's drink).
hit bottom, to fall into the worst of all possible circumstances: After all those years of flying high, she finally hit bottom.When the housing market crashed, it really hit bottom, leaving people with houses worth less than their mortgages.
Origin of bottom
1Other words for bottom
1 | base, foot, pedestal |
7 | foundation, groundwork, underlying principle |
8 | root; ground, genesis, beginning, wellspring |
Other words from bottom
- un·bot·tom, verb (used with object)
- un·der·bot·tom, noun
Words Nearby bottom
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bottom in a sentence
He hits bottom at Rocamadour, a sanctuary in the Dordogne known as a citadel of faith devoted to Mary.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President | Pierre Assouline | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTDespite its ranking at the bottom of most international development indexes, the conflict is shrouded by confusion.
Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon labels the show a “crass stunt” on a “bottom-feeding vortex of sadness network.”
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism | Samantha Allen | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTbottom line is that it will only be a BVR [beyond visual range] airplane.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn Monday, Soelistyo had jolted relatives as well as searchers by suggesting that the plane could be “at the bottom of the sea.”
But, as the keel of the boats touched bottom, each boat-load dashed into the water and then into the enemy's fire.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonIn these archipelagos the waters being shallow, the frost was quite intense enough to cool them to the bottom.
The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne"I have a letter somewhere," looking in the machine drawer and finding the letter in the bottom of the workbasket.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinIn the presence of bromin the chloroform, which settles to the bottom, assumes a yellow color.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThe signatures at the bottom of this memorandum, were hidden from Wharton's view, when he was allowed to read it.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
British Dictionary definitions for bottom
/ (ˈbɒtəm) /
the lowest, deepest, or farthest removed part of a thing: the bottom of a hill
the least important or successful position: the bottom of a class
the ground underneath a sea, lake, or river
touch bottom to run aground
the inner depths of a person's true feelings (esp in the phrase from the bottom of one's heart)
the underneath part of a thing
nautical the parts of a vessel's hull that are under water
(in literary or commercial contexts) a boat or ship
billiards snooker a strike in the centre of the cue ball
a dry valley or hollow
(often plural) US and Canadian the low land bordering a river
the lowest level worked in a mine
(esp of horses) staying power; stamina
importance, seriousness, or influence: his views all have weight and bottom
informal the buttocks
at bottom in reality; basically or despite appearances to the contrary: he's a kind man at bottom
be at the bottom of to be the ultimate cause of
get to the bottom of to discover the real truth about
knock the bottom out of to destroy or eliminate
lowest or last: the bottom price
bet one's bottom dollar on or put one's bottom dollar on to be absolutely sure of (one's opinion, a person, project, etc)
of, relating to, or situated at the bottom or a bottom: the bottom shelf
fundamental; basic
(tr) to provide (a chair, etc) with a bottom or seat
(tr) to discover the full facts or truth of; fathom
(usually foll by on or upon) to base or be founded (on an idea, etc)
(intr) nautical to strike the ground beneath the water with a vessel's bottom
Australian mining
to mine (a hole, claim, etc) deep enough to reach any gold there is
(intr foll by on) to reach (gold, mud, etc) on bottoming
electronics to saturate a transistor so that further increase of input produces no change in output
Origin of bottom
1- See also bottom out
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 bottom
In addition to the idioms beginning with bottom
- bottom drops out, the
- bottom line
- bottom of the barrel
- bottom of the ladder
- bottom out
also see:
- at bottom
- from head to toe (top to bottom)
- from the bottom of one's heart
- get to the bottom
- hit (touch) bottom
- knock the bottom out of
- rock bottom
- touch bottom
- you bet your ass (bottom dollar)
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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