topple
Americanverb (used without object)
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to fall forward, as from having too heavy a top; pitch; tumble down.
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to lean over or jut, as if threatening to fall.
verb
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to tip over or cause to tip over, esp from a height
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(intr) to lean precariously or totter
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(tr) to overthrow; oust
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of topple
Explanation
To topple something is to knock it down. A house of cards can be toppled — so can a government. Things can topple in several ways. If a building collapses or falls down for any reason, it topples. If you knocked over another student, you toppled that person. Governments that are overthrown are also said to be toppled. When you see the word topple, someone or something is going down.
Vocabulary lists containing topple
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
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The War That Saved My Life
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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.
Harvard-Westlake’s boys’ tennis team accomplished something on Friday few have done: topple Irvine University.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
It’s currently in the Arabian Sea, but he seems to think it could make “ a little excursion” to topple the government and take it over.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
Last September, the Indian Ocean island was rocked by weeks of youth-led protests, which helped topple the country's then President Andry Rajoelina.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
When foreign airstrikes have helped topple autocratic regimes in the region, they were supplemented with U.S. troops on the ground, as in Iraq or Afghanistan, or coordinated with local armed militias, as in Libya.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
And then, about halfway back in the sanctuary, Mr. Newton stood, his big hands set on the pew in front of him, leaning over so far that he looked like he might topple.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
