topple
Americanverb (used without object)
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topples,
present (3rd person singular)
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toppled,
past participle, past
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toppling
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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topplesimple
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topplessimple
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have toppledperfect
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has toppledperfect
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am topplingprogressive
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are topplingprogressive
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is topplingprogressive
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have been topplingperfect progressive
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has been topplingperfect progressive
Past
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toppledsimple
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had toppledperfect
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was topplingprogressive
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were topplingprogressive
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had been topplingperfect progressive
Future
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
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Six others tried and failed to topple her.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
A cliff averaging one foot a year might actually not do anything dramatic for 20 years, and then a 20-foot collapse will abruptly topple in one go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
It is unclear when Burnham will formally launch his leadership challenge, or if Labour ministers will rise up en masse to try to topple the prime minister.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Washington on Thursday threw its support behind embattled Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, offering emergency assistance while warning against attempts to topple the government.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
They suggested that the worst thing that could possibly happen to an American was to topple from his perch on the class ladder, as happens to poor Hurstwood in Dreiser’s Sister Carrie.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Plus, AI topples a 80 year-old math problem, the Brockmans sit for an interview and physical AI gets its due.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
Anyone who’s seen Abela’s work in HBO’s excellent finance drama “Industry” — which, in my opinion, topples "Succession" — knows she has the varied skillset of any great actor.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025
The clash with Stanley that topples Blanche’s mind after Stella has gone into labor is just as freshly conceived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
You look so shocked when a dog topples your precious kid over!
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
As the icebergs drift, the seawater erodes them from below, until the berg abruptly topples over and continues its journey upside down.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Four years later, veteran Bay Area Rep. Mike Honda was toppled by fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, now viewed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Aparcedo and her family spent three years in a shelter following the floods before being relocated to a public housing project — which toppled in the June earthquake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Japan's national broadcaster NHK reports numerous accounts of trees being toppled by strong winds throughout Nago city in Okinawa, while a car was found overturned and leaking oil in a parking lot.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
No meter is safe, it seems, especially not the one that was toppled over and left wedged between the pharmacy and an S&L.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
I tried to stand and toppled over instead.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
She is already the highest-rated woman in England, and the sight of her toppling much older and more experienced men and women has become the norm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They took the capital unopposed after a lightning offensive that swept across Afghanistan, toppling government forces in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Dolphin brought heavy rain to Japan's Okinawa island, cutting power to tens of thousands of buildings, toppling trees and cancelling flights.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sharaa, the former leader of an Islamist rebel faction, took power after toppling longtime authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Miss Wren was so excited that she leapt up without her cane, and I had to steady her elbow to keep her from toppling over.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
