stay atop

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseformalliterary

   to remain on the highest part or surface of something without falling off

   Grammar: Used with an object after 'atop': stay atop the wall. 'Atop' is formal or literary; in everyday speech people say 'stay on top of'.

   Patterns

   • stay atop something

   The cat managed to stay atop the fence for several minutes.

   Climbers must stay atop the rock face until the rope is secured.

2. 2phrasefixed phrasefigurative

   to continue to be the best or highest-ranked among a group

   Grammar: Followed by a noun like 'the list', 'the rankings', or 'the table': stay atop the rankings.

   Patterns

   • stay atop the rankings
   • stay atop the list
   • stay atop the table

   The team hopes to stay atop the league for another season.

   She stayed atop the list of best-selling authors for months.

Common combinations

stay atop the leaderboard

He stayed atop the leaderboard after the second round.

stay atop the pile

The documents should stay atop the pile so you don't forget them.

stay atop the roof

The workers had to stay atop the roof until the wind died down.

stay atop the standings

The club stayed atop the standings all season.

Synonyms and how they differ

remain on top of

More common in everyday speech and works for both physical and figurative positions.

stay on

Used for surfaces but not for rankings; 'stay on the roof' is fine, but 'stay on the rankings' is not.

Opposites

Word family

atop preposition

On top of; formal or literary.

top noun

The highest part or point of something.

Commonly confused: stay atop or stay on top of?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “stay atop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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