topless

American  

[top-lis] / ˈtɒp lɪs /

adjective

1. lacking a top.

   a topless bathing suit.

2. nude above the waist or hips.

   topless dancers.

3. featuring entertainers, waitresses, etc., who are nude above the waist or hips.

   a topless bar.

4. extremely high.

   a topless mountain.

5. Obsolete. without a peer.

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topless British  

/ ˈtɒplɪs /

adjective

1. having no top

2. 1. denoting a costume which has no covering for the breasts

   2. wearing such a costume

3. archaic immeasurably high

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Other Word Forms

• toplessness noun

Etymology

Origin of topless

First recorded in 1580–90; top ¹ + -less

Example Sentences

Burton’s eclectic circle of friends included national political figures, Hollywood glitterati, football coach John Madden, North Beach topless dancer Carol Doda and, from his bartending days, Alice Kleupfer, a cocktail waitress.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2025

Berlin’s authorities want to make it very clear: Women are free to swim topless in municipal pools, as are those who identify as nonbinary, if that’s what they want.

From Washington Post • Mar. 10, 2023

During the 2013 men’s final, a topless man carrying a fiery flare jumped onto the court.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2022

But it was Mr. Crumpton’s shirtless display in Beijing that won love from the media, with headlines such as: “‘OMG’: New topless Winter Olympics figure takes world by storm.”

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2022

With the educations Tansy made me and Lloyd get, we went out into the world – back east to the great boom of the big city, the topless towers of Indianapolis.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck