topple
[ top-uhl ]
/ ˈtɒp əl /
verb (used without object), top·pled, top·pling.
to fall forward, as from having too heavy a top; pitch; tumble down.
to lean over or jut, as if threatening to fall.
verb (used with object), top·pled, top·pling.
to cause to topple.
to overthrow, as from a position of authority: to topple the king.
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RELATED WORDS
oust, plunge, collapse, tumble, upset, unseat, overturn, totter, unhorse, capsize, founder, teeter, fall, slump, lurch, stagger, land, pitch, falter, stumble
Nearby words
Origin of topple
SYNONYMS FOR topple
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for topple
topple
/ (ˈtɒpəl) /
verb
to tip over or cause to tip over, esp from a height
(intr) to lean precariously or totter
(tr) to overthrow; oust
Word Origin for topple
C16: frequentative of top 1 (verb)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
topple
1580s, "tumble down," earlier "to tumble or roll about" (1540s), from top (v.) + frequentative suffix -le. Related: Toppled; toppling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper