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definitions

Idioms

    blow one's top, Informal.
    1. to become enraged; lose one's temper.
    2. to go mad; become insane: He must have blown his top to make such a fool of himself.
    off the top of one's head, Informal. head(def 78).
    on top, successful; victorious; dominant: to stay on top.
    on top of,
    1. over or upon.
    2. in addition to; over and above.
    3. close upon; following upon: Gale winds came on top of the floods.
    4. in complete control: on top of the problem.
    on top of the world,
    1. successful.
    2. elated: The success made her feel on top of the world.
    over the top,
    1. Military.over the top of the parapet before a trench, as in issuing to charge against the enemy.
    2. surpassing a goal, quota, or limit.
    3. beyond normal limits; outrageously extreme or excessive: His humor is so over the top that it’s embarrassing.
    top oneself, Chiefly British. to kill oneself.

Origin of top

1
before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch top, German Zopf, Old Norse toppr “top”
Related formsun·topped, adjective

top

2
[top]

noun

a toy, often inversely conical, with a point on which it is made to spin.

Origin of top

2
before 1100; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Frisian, dialectal Dutch top

top-

variant of topo- before a vowel: toponym.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for top

finest, dominant, preeminent, leading, primary, excellent, elite, principal, lid, head, point, tip, cap, cover, ceiling, roof, face, surface, height, peak

Examples from the Web for top

Contemporary Examples of top

Historical Examples of top

  • In the midst of the barrier stood an altar, on the top of which was a brazen eagle.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • At the top was crimson, at the right hand blue, and at the left hand yellow.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • At the top she breathed a moment and then knocked at a door before her.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • But the man had been only stunned by a bullet that plowed its way across the top of his skull.

  • And Jeff Rankin rose without a word and lumbered to the top of the hill.

British Dictionary definitions for top

top

1

noun

the highest or uppermost part of anythingthe top of a hill
the most important or successful positionto be at the top of the class; the top of the table
the part of a plant that is above groundcarrot tops
a thing that forms or covers the uppermost part of anything, esp a lid or capput the top on the saucepan
the highest degree or pointat the top of his career
the most important personhe's the top of this organization
the best or finest part of anythingwe've got the top of this year's graduates
the loudest or highest pitch (esp in the phrase top of one's voice)
the beginningthe top of the hour; at the top of the programme
short for top gear
cards the highest card of a suit in a player's hand
sport
  1. a stroke that hits the ball above its centre
  2. short for topspin
a platform around the head of a lower mast of a sailing vessel, the edges of which serve to extend the topmast shrouds
chem the part of a volatile liquid mixture that distils first
a garment, esp for a woman, that extends from the shoulders to the waist or hips
  1. the high-frequency content of an audio signal
  2. (as modifier)this amplifier has a good top response
blow one's top informal to lose one's temper
on top of
  1. in addition toon top of his accident, he caught pneumonia
  2. informalin complete control of (a difficult situation, job, etc)
off the top of one's head with no previous preparation; extempore
over the top
  1. over the parapet or leading edge of a trench
  2. over the limit; excessive(ly); lacking restraint or a sense of proportion
the top of the morning a morning greeting regarded as characteristic of Irishmen

adjective

of, relating to, serving as, or situated on the topthe top book in a pile
British informal excellenta top night out

verb tops, topping or topped (mainly tr)

to form a top on (something)to top a cake with whipped cream
to remove the top of or fromto top carrots
to reach or pass the top ofwe topped the mountain
to be at the top ofhe tops the team
to exceed or surpass
slang to kill
(also intr) sport
  1. to hit (a ball) above the centre
  2. to make (a stroke) by hitting the ball in this way
chem to distil off (the most volatile part) from a liquid mixture
to add other colorants to (a dye) in order to modify the shade produced
top and tail
  1. to trim off the ends of (fruit or vegetables) before cooking them
  2. to wash a baby's face and bottom without immersion in a bath
See also top off, top out, tops, top up

Word Origin for top

Old English topp; related to Old High German zopf plait, Old Norse toppr tuft

top

2

noun

a toy that is spun on its pointed base by a flick of the fingers, by pushing a handle at the top up and down, etc
anything that spins or whirls around
sleep like a top to sleep very soundly

Word Origin for top

Old English, of unknown origin

top-

combining form

a variant of topo-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for top
n.1

"highest point," Old English top "summit, crest, tuft," from Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (cf. Old Norse toppr "tuft of hair," Old Frisian top "tuft," Old Dutch topp, Dutch top, Old High German zopf "end, tip, tuft of hair," German Zopf "tuft of hair"); no certain connections outside Germanic except a few Romanic words probably borrowed from Germanic.

Few Indo-European languages have a word so generic, which can be used of the upper part or surface of just about anything. More typical is German, which has Spitze for sharp peaks (mountains), oberfläche for the upper surface of flat things (such as a table). Top dog first attested 1900; top-drawer (1920) is from British expression out of the top drawer "upper-class."

n.2

"toy that spins on a point," late Old English top, probably a special use of top (n.1), but the modern word is perhaps via Old French topet, which is from a Germanic source akin to the root of English top (n.1). As a type of seashell, first recorded 1680s.

v.

"put a top on," 1580s, from top (n.1). The meaning "be higher or greater than" also is first recorded 1580s. Related: Topped; topping. To top off "finish" is colloquial from 1836;

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with top

top

In addition to the idioms beginning with top

  • top banana
  • top brass
  • top dog
  • top dollar
  • top drawer
  • top off
  • top out
  • top to toe

also see:

  • at the top of one's lungs
  • big top
  • blow one's top
  • brass hat (top brass)
  • from head to toe (top to toe)
  • off the top of one's head
  • on top
  • on top of
  • on top of the world
  • over the top
  • sleep like a log (top)
  • thin on top
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.