top out

British  

verb

1. (adverb) to place the highest stone on (a building) or perform a ceremony on this occasion

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top out Idioms  

1. Complete the top portion of a building, as in They were scheduled to top out the dome next week . This idiom was first recorded in 1834.

2. Fill up a ship or complete its cargo, as in The ship was topped out with scrap iron . This idiom was first recorded in 1940.

3. Cease rising, as in Interest rates topped out at 10 percent . [Second half of 1900s]

4. Retire just as one becomes very successful, as in He decided that at sixty it was time to top out . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Castelion’s missiles have topped out at four times the speed of sound in those tests.

From The Wall Street Journal

He topped out at 50-pounds, then refused to budge from the starting line.

From The Wall Street Journal

The broad index’s turn lower ended its longest streak above that trend line since just before stocks topped out in 2007, the year before the global financial crisis triggered a brutal recession.

From The Wall Street Journal

We all wanted to catch the first glimpse of Cleopatra’s Needle as it poked its pointy top out of The Dessoug.

From Literature

It’ll top out at carrying 55 pounds—think laundry baskets and bags of rice, not furniture.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• climax
• crest
• culminate