top-shelf
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of top-shelf
First recorded in 1850–55
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.
And with the NFL salary cap now over $300 million, teams had plenty of money to spend—without many other top-shelf players to lavish it on.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
While those top-shelf names certainly hold appeal, they aren’t without risk.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
Given that the boat serves excellent food, top-shelf liquor, free Wi-Fi and twice-daily housekeeping, even my modest math skills calculated that this was a very good deal indeed.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025
These are yardstick games because the Rams and Chargers can size up their chances against top-shelf competition — and because losing would feel to them like a ruler rapping across the knuckles.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024
A day in the round for the father who breaks through the top-shelf like a picket-line.
From Unmanned by Oliver, Stephen
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.
