top gun

American

noun

Slang. a person who is the best or one of the best in a particular field; the top-ranked person in a group.
an ace fighter pilot.

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.

Newspapers the next day were covered with images of the rebel French leader in his shades, with commentators likening Macron to Maverick from "Top Gun".

From Barron's

The nominations were announced by “The Color Purple” actress Danielle Brooks and “Top Gun: Maverick” actor Lewis Pullman bright and early at 5:30 a.m. in Los Angeles.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 2023 best picture field set a modern high-water mark of $4.4 billion worldwide, powered by the mega-hits “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

From Los Angeles Times

And the success of “Top Gun: Maverick” redux carved out a marker for last year’s “Road House” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor.

From Salon

The nominations will be announced by The Color Purple's Danielle Brooks, a former nominee herself, and Thunderbolts and Top Gun: Maverick star Lewis Pullman.

From BBC

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