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

“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

Portraits, politically charged tabletop collages and quiet photographs that capture the simple vibrance of daily life are strewn across Regen’s 20,000 square feet of gallery space.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 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

The surface of the tabletop was almost mirrored, and, had anyone cared to look, they might have observed that the tall man had no reflection.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman