top-tier

American  

[top-teer] / ˈtɒpˈtɪər /

adjective

1. of or among the highest rank, level, importance, or quality.

   It was again named the top-tier exterior house paint.

   She was sought after by three top-tier college basketball teams.

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Etymology

Origin of top-tier

First recorded in 1940–45; top ¹ ( def. ) + tier ¹ ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

top-tier

And they are spending big to lure and retain top-tier partners as once-loyal star lawyers get more comfortable jumping ship in search of a bigger payday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Castleford Tigers complete the Category A clubs as they have risen from 11th in 2025 to eighth and move into the top-tier section despite finishing 13th in Super League.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

To support these capabilities, the top-tier configuration of the Surface Laptop Ultra boasts 128 gigabytes of unified memory and 1 petaflop of AI processing power.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Each team is allowed one player whose salary is exempt from the calculations; however, players who move between top-tier teams can only qualify for such marquee status after two years with their new side.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

I wanted the best of both worlds—the thrill and the drama of high school with all my friends and a top-tier gymnastics career.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

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Related Words

• blue-ribbon
• first string
• first-class
• first-rate
• five-star
• outstanding
• top-flight
• top-level
• top-notch
• top-of-the-line
• top-ranking
• world-beating
• world-class

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