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Synonyms

top dollar

American  

noun

Informal.

  1. the maximum amount being or likely to be paid.

    to pay top dollar for the jewelry.
top dollar British  

noun

  1. informal the highest level of payment

"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
top dollar Idioms  

  1. The highest price, as in They'll have to pay top dollar at that resort. [Second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The owner said, ‘Only at top dollar and as is.’

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

How much of the oil Total has agreed to sell onward couldn’t be learned, but the massive position may amount to a bet that Asian refiners will pay top dollar for scarce supplies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Ellison appears willing to pay top dollar to beef up Paramount’s offerings.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

The 'Mersey Millionaires' were prepared to pay top dollar for their new boss, with Ipswich Town's Bobby Robson and Wolves' Bill McGarry also linked.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Some of his former patients were extremely angry because they had paid good money, top dollar for "real" medicines, but were given only flour and water.

From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Solomon, Steve

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.