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

Top-tier U.K. data is thin on the ground in the coming week, with focus on mortgage and credit data for October on Monday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In November the ban was lifted after Fiba reached an agreement with SLB to "ensure the stability and continuity of the top-tier men's basketball in Great Britain".

Read more on BBC

When they dipped into the portal this past offseason, it was with specific top-tier targets in mind.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

World Rugby will be launching a "second division" version of the tournament and, while there is no prospect of relegation or promotion between the two, it is hoped up-and-coming nations such as Georgia, Spain and Uruguay, ranked 11th, 14th and 15th respectively, and the likes of Samoa, Tonga and the United States will benefit from games against top-tier nations on years when the Nations Championship is not being staged.

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If top-tier megacities are saturated, constrained by high costs, housing burdens, and weak property sentiment, then the less-observed smaller cities may offer a fresher—albeit smaller-scale—on-ramp to growth.

Read more on Barron's