tope
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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topes,
present (3rd person singular)
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toped,
past participle, past
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toping
present participle
verb (used with object)
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topes,
present (3rd person singular)
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toped,
past participle, past
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toping
present participle
noun
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a small shark, Galeorhinus galeus, inhabiting waters along the European coast.
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any of various related sharks of small to medium size.
noun
noun
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a small grey requiem shark, Galeorhinus galeus, of European coastal waters
-
any of various other small sharks
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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topesimple
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topessimple
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have topedperfect
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has topedperfect
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am topingprogressive
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are topingprogressive
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is topingprogressive
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have been topingperfect progressive
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has been topingperfect progressive
Past
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topedsimple
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had topedperfect
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was topingprogressive
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were topingprogressive
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had been topingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tope1
First recorded in 1645–55; of uncertain origin; perhaps a variant of obsolete top “to drink,” in phrase top off, formed on the model of tip off “to drink (a full helping) at a draught,” a special use of top “to tilt”; perhaps from tope, an interjection used in proposing a toast
Origin of tope2
First recorded in 1680–90; of unknown origin
Origin of tope3
First recorded in 1805–15; from Hindi ṭop; probably from Pali or Prakrit thūpo, from Sanskrit stūpa stupa ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
Natural England's Species Recovery Programme will focus on the blue shark, porbeagle and tope.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Among the species the team hopes to learn more about is the tope shark, which is listed as critically endangered, while basking sharks are classed as endangered.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
A range of other species, including tope and smooth-hound sharks often hunted for their meat, and gulper sharks targeted for their liver oil, were placed on Appendix II.
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
The report said shark species including tope, starry smooth hound and spurdog live in the Thames and the there are more than 100 species of fish in the 215-mile long river.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2021
As the Mexican spoke, he pointed to a small tope of cotton-woods, which grew isolated about three or four hundred yards from the mound.
From The Wild Huntress Love in the Wilderness by Mayne Reid
Facing her stands my father’s seat in which he sits and topes like an immortal god.
From The Humour of Homer and Other Essays by R. A. (Richard Alexander) Streatfeild
The topes and hammerheads belong to the same shark family.
From Fast Nine or, A Challenge from Fairfield by Alan Douglas
The ancient books of the North and South agree as to the places where the topes were built, and no Roman Catholic relics are so well authenticated.
From Ten Great Religions An Essay in Comparative Theology by James Freeman Clarke
The country improves towards Dadur, topes becoming more frequent.
From Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries by William Griffith
These topes consist of a slightly stilted hemispherical dome surmounting a substructure, circular in plan, which forms a sort of terrace, access to which is obtained by steps.
From Architecture Classic and Early Christian by T. Roger (Thomas Roger) Smith
They fought against one of the biggest military in Africa only toped by Egypt and won.
From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2016
They toped out of jolly bottomless cups four sorts of cool, sparkling, pure, delicious, vine-tree sirup, which went down like mother's milk; and healths and bumpers flew about like lightning.
From Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 5 by Peter Anthony Motteux
Two years later he is toping and caroling in an inn, faced with ruin and the loss of Jean Armour, whose father will not let him marry her.
From Time Magazine Archive
What pricked him on from apprenticeship under a toping village sawbones to postgraduate work at the State of Winnemac's great Sears-Roebuckian university was an itching to learn, to know, to do.
From Time Magazine Archive
When we—that is, Vliet and I and his three toping companions—re-entered the room, one of them handed me my coat, but I did not put it on, for it was drenched with the rain.
From The MS. in a Red Box by John Arthur Hamilton
He often found himself condemned to solitary toping over a stained newspaper, one of the most ungleeful joys known to man.
From The Belovéd Vagabond by William John Locke
"And then, the filthy, toping rioters—" she continued, exalting her voice.
From Horse-Shoe Robinson A Tale of the Tory Ascendency by John Pendleton Kennedy
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