tabletop

American  

[tey-buhl-top] / ˈteɪ bəlˌtɒp /

noun

1. a surface forming or suggesting the top of a table.

2. a photograph of an arrangement of objects on top of a table.

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adjective

1. intended for use on the top of a table or the like.

2. noting or relating to an arrangement of objects, especially miniatures or models, as would be appropriate to the top of a table.

3. noting or relating to a type of game that requires the physical presence of players and the manipulation of game pieces, in contrast to video games.

Etymology

Origin of tabletop

First recorded in 1800–10; table + top ¹

Example Sentences

To investigate this possibility, the researchers designed a tabletop experiment with a two-dimensional array of freely rotating magnetic elements positioned above a second magnetic layer.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

Phones rattled against the tabletop with constant texts.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026

“There’s this huge national pride going that has never really stopped,” says Matthew W. Sivils, a professor of English at Iowa State University who has studied Travellers and owns more than 800 tabletop games himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

The menu includes tabletop grills piled high with grilled short ribs, flap meat, sausage, beef sweetbreads, black sausage, and other deliciousness.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2025

She removed the cover, spread it on the tabletop in front of Babulya, and set the scroll on top of the smoothed cloth.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack