topple

[top-uhl]

verb (used without object)

toppled, toppling 

1. to fall forward, as from having too heavy a top; pitch; tumble down.

2. to lean over or jut, as if threatening to fall.

verb (used with object)

toppled, toppling 

1. to cause to topple.

2. to overthrow, as from a position of authority.

   to topple the king.

   Synonyms: overpower, overcome, vanquish, defeat

topple

/ ˈtɒpəl /

verb

1. to tip over or cause to tip over, esp from a height

2. (intr) to lean precariously or totter

3. (tr) to overthrow; oust

Other Word Forms

• untoppled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of topple¹

1535–45; earlier top to tilt, topple ( tope ¹ ) + -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of topple¹

C16: frequentative of _top ¹ (verb)

Example Sentences

Maduro has accused Washington of trying to topple him, calling the military campaign “regime change through military threat.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“We want to keep our ankles strong. It keeps us from toppling over.”

Read more on MarketWatch

The Philippines was hit by two major storms in September, including Super Typhoon Ragasa, which toppled trees and tore the roofs off buildings on its way to killing 14 people in nearby Taiwan.

Read more on Barron's

The term “Thermidorian,” central in the book, points to that period in the French Revolution following the toppling of the radical Jacobins.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In any event, such operations seldom topple strongmen – but they do seed paranoia and crackdowns as regimes chase ghosts.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• collapse 
• oust 
• overturn 
• plunge 
• tumble 
• unseat 
• upset