tip top

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparableinformal

   In excellent condition or of the very best quality.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a tip-top meal, or the engine is tip-top.

   Patterns

   • in tip-top shape
   • in tip-top condition

   The old car is still in tip-top condition.

   Grandpa is in tip-top shape for a man of ninety.

   They served a tip-top breakfast at the little inn.

2. 2adjectiveafter a verbinformalold-fashioned

   Feeling very well and in good spirits.

   Grammar: Used after feel or be: I feel tip-top today.

   Patterns

   • feel tip-top
   • be tip-top

   I feel tip-top after a good night's sleep.

   She was tip-top when she came back from the holiday.

   Everyone was in tip-top spirits on the last day of term.

Common combinations

in tip-top shape

The team arrived in tip-top shape.

tip-top condition

The bike is in tip-top condition.

feel tip-top

I don't feel tip-top this morning.

tip-top quality

The shop sells tip-top quality tools.

keep something tip-top

She keeps her garden tip-top all summer.

Synonyms and how they differ

excellent

Excellent is neutral and works in any setting, whereas tip-top sounds cheerful and informal.

first-rate

First-rate describes very high quality and is a bit more formal than tip-top.

top-notch

Top-notch is a modern informal equivalent, while tip-top feels older and friendlier.

in good shape

In good shape is a plain phrase that says less than tip-top, which means the very best condition.

Opposites

Word family

tip noun

the very end or point of something

top noun

the highest part

top-notch adjective

of the highest quality

tiptop noun

the very highest point

Commonly confused: tip top or tip-toe?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words