tops
Americanadjective
adverb
noun
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of tops
First recorded in 1930–35; plural of top 1
Explanation
Are you the very best chess player in your state? Then you're the tops. Something or someone that's tops is outstanding or of the highest quality. You can use the informal tops to describe things or people that are unmatched or topmost, like your amazing high school, considered to be tops among all public schools in the country. It can also mean something closer to "awesome," as when you say, "Did you taste that new flavor of potato chip? It's tops!" Tops first appeared in 1935 as American slang.
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.
No one buys and sells at tops and bottoms—unless they’re very lucky—but anyone can train themselves to control their emotions to make disciplined decisions.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Wait till the latter toot off their tops, as each of the 100 new puppets is full of surprises.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The men are variously clothed in bloused tops and tights.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Sandisk, which tops the list, illustrates how some companies’ forward P/E ratios have come down.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
Wind roared through the tops of the trees, though it was quiet and peaceful on the ground.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
