tiptop

American  

[tip-top, tip-top, -top, tip-top] / ˈtɪpˌtɒp, ˈtɪpˈtɒp, -ˌtɒp, ˈtɪpˈtɒp /

noun

1. the extreme top or summit.

2. Informal. the highest point or degree.

   the very tiptop of physical condition.

3. Chiefly British Informal. the highest social class.

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adjective

1. situated at the very top.

2. Informal. of the highest quality; excellent.

   a tiptop meal.

adverb

1. in a tiptop manner; very well.

   It's shaping up tiptop.

tiptop British  

/ ˌtɪpˈtɒp /

adjective

1. at the highest point of health, excellence, etc

2. at the topmost point

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noun

1. the best in quality

2. the topmost point

Usage

What does tiptop mean? Tiptop refers to the very top of something or the “top of the top,” as in He climbed to the tiptop of the mountain. For example, the top of a person could include their neck and shoulders, while the tiptop of a person specifically means their head or even the top of their head. Informally, tiptop means something is of the highest quality or degree, as in She was at the tiptop of her career. As an adjective, tiptop means something is located at the very top, as in Hand me the book on the tiptop shelf. Informally, tiptop means something is superb or excellent, as in The contractor did a tiptop job fixing my house. As an adverb, tiptop means something is done in a great manner or very well, as in Today, everything is going tiptop. Example: The chimpanzee climbed to the tiptop of the tree and gazed across the rainforest.

Etymology

Origin of tiptop

1695–1705; gradational compound; see tip ¹, top ¹

Example Sentences

Moving the vessel is “the major step in getting the ship back to tiptop shape,” Gregory said Tuesday as he stood abort it while workers made final preparations.

From Washington Times • Aug. 31, 2022

Bottom line: Weekly exercise can help keep a standby generator in tiptop shape.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2022

“He was one of just a handful of filmmakers at the tiptop of the list that you would go make this with,” Parent said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2021

It lost to some tiptop teams early — Missouri, Oklahoma State, Wichita State, Oklahoma — but often played them commendably.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2021

“Nothing,” he said, “but these two little hounds, and you be here early; and I believe I’d let these dogs rest, ’cause we want them in tiptop shape when we get there.”

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls