Meaning & use
top out
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To reach the highest point or level and then stop rising.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'at' plus a figure: The temperature topped out at 35 degrees.
Patterns
- top out at something
- top out around something
- top out
The temperature topped out at 38 degrees yesterday.
Ticket prices topped out at $200 for the best seats.
Sales topped out in December and then fell.
verbtransitive or intransitivetechnical
To finish building the highest part of a structure, especially by putting on the final piece.
Grammar: Can take an object: They topped out the tower. Also used without an object: The tower topped out last week.
Patterns
- top out a building
- the building topped out
Workers topped out the new office block with a small ceremony.
The bridge topped out ahead of schedule.
Word forms
| third person singular | tops out |
|---|---|
| past tense | topped out |
| past participle | topped out |
| -ing form | topping out |
Common combinations
- top out at a figure
- The cost topped out at around $5,000.
- top out around a level
- Unemployment topped out around 10 percent.
- top out at number one
- The song topped out at number three on the chart.
- top out a building
- They topped out the new library in May.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peak
- Peak means to reach the highest point, often used for prices or performance; top out is more informal and often followed by 'at'.
- max out
- Max out means to reach a maximum, often for limits or credit cards; top out is used for levels that stop rising.
Opposites
Word family
- top noun
- The highest part or point of something.
- topping out noun
- A ceremony marking the completion of a building's highest point.
Commonly confused: top out or top up?
top out vs top up
Top up means to fill something again, like a drink or a phone balance. Top out means to reach a highest point.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Top out is followed by 'at' before a figure, so 'topped out at $50' is correct. 'To' and 'of' do not fit this pattern, and no preposition is needed only with a direct object, which is not the case here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “top out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.