over the top
Idioms-
Surpassing a goal or quota, as in The new salesmen are excellent; they were over the top within the first six months . [Mid-1900s]
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Over the parapet of a military trench, as in The lieutenant sent fresh troops over the top . This usage dates from World War I.
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Extreme, outrageous, as in This comedian's style goes over the top . [ Slang ; late 1900s]
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.
Delcy Rodriguez, who took over the top job, is now working with the US administration.
From BBC
It was so over the top, you don’t even need a name.
From Los Angeles Times
Jeffery says the government's "knee-jerk" response is over the top.
From BBC
So in silence, all in silence except for the gentle whuffing of their breath and the slight jingle of their harness snaps, I was pulled over the top of the open hill in the moonlight by a steam ghost.
From Literature
I looked up and there was Obeah looking over the top of the waterfall, down at me.
From Literature
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.
