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Synonyms

top out

British  

verb

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

"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 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]

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 Sparks announced the signing of some its top out of contract players and free agents Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

By age 73, retirees must begin annual required minimum distributions, or RMDs, which are taxed at income-tax rates of up to 37% rather than at capital-gains tax rates, which top out at 15%.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

Depending on income, capital-gains taxes top out at 20%, plus another 3.8% net investment income tax.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

My hair flew straight up and felt as if it was pushing the top out of my old straw hat.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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.