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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.

If those tanks top out, Tehran will be forced to shut in active wells—a drastic measure risking permanent infrastructure damage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

However the US Congressional Research Service estimates they top out at about 3,000 kilometres -- less than a third of the distance to the continental United States.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

I don’t know if it’s still like play one on one with with Zu down there and if he beats you over the top out of the post you live with it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2025

He worked his pajama top out from under his back.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

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.