top-tier

[ top-teer ]

adjective

1. of or among the highest rank, level, importance, or quality:

   It was again named the top-tier exterior house paint.

   She was sought after by three top-tier college basketball teams.

Word History and Origins

Origin of top-tier¹

First recorded in 1940–45; top ¹( def ) + tier ¹( def )

Example Sentences

He is what he is: a typical top-tier athlete willing to do just about anything to excel at his chosen sport.

From The Daily Beast

Clinton was the first top tier U.S. official to confer with Abbas since it began.

From The Daily Beast

The top-tier cabinet posts get the most attention—Treasury, State, Defense, and Justice.

From The Daily Beast

And to the delight of many, they are still playing top-tier tennis in their early 30s.

From The Daily Beast

Work and the gym are often out—and, increasingly, top-tier matchmakers are in.

From The Daily Beast

Now, you may wonder how they raised the bodies to place them in the compartments of the top tier.

From Project Gutenberg

"On the top tier," whispered Olga Petrovna, still pale and trembling.

From Project Gutenberg

The low chamber was crowded with rows of bunks, steel skeleton bunks three tiers high, the top tier just under the ceiling.

From Project Gutenberg

Dukovski took the candle in his hand and climbed up to the top tier of the sweating frame.

From Project Gutenberg