- present tense form of top (3rd person singular).
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.
But denim giant Levi Strauss’s optimism remained intact on Wednesday, helped by gains in tops and women’s clothing and high hopes for what it is calling “denim luxury.”
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
Under Gass, Levi’s has been looking to dress consumers from head to toe by expanding its offerings of tops, dresses and non-denim bottoms.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
In Santa Monica, parade-goers lined Main Street decked out in shiny red, white and blue leis and tank tops bearing stars and stripes.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026
You can get fancy with your butters by making a garlic herb butter or a whipped honey butter to brush the insides and tops of your rolls.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026
Nighthand frowned and poured wine to the tops of two glasses, slopping it over the rim.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
