Meaning & use
top
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Highest in position, rank, or quality; best or most important in a group.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: the top shelf, a top student.
Patterns
- the top floor
- a top priority
She was the top student in her class.
Safety is our top priority.
The best seats are on the top deck.
nouncountable
The highest point, part or surface of something.
Grammar: Often followed by of: the top of the hill.
Patterns
- the top of something
- on top of something
We reached the top of the mountain at noon.
Put the cake on the top shelf.
Write your name at the top of the page.
nouncountable
A piece of clothing worn on the upper half of the body, such as a shirt or blouse.
Grammar: Often paired with bottoms or trousers: a top and jeans.
Patterns
- wear a top
She wore a red top with black jeans.
This top is too thin for winter.
I need a new top to go with this skirt.
verbtransitive
To be better or higher than something, or to put something on the upper side of a thing.
Grammar: Takes an object: the song topped the chart.
Patterns
- top something
- top something with something
The singer's new song topped the charts for six weeks.
She topped the pizza with fresh basil.
Nothing can top a day at the beach.
Word forms
| third person singular | tops |
|---|---|
| past tense | topped |
| past participle | topped |
| -ing form | topping |
Common combinations
- top of the class
- He has been top of the class all year.
- top priority
- Fixing the leak is our top priority.
- top speed
- The car reached its top speed on the straight.
- at the top of your voice
- The children shouted at the top of their voices.
- top something off
- We topped the meal off with ice cream.
Synonyms and how they differ
- best
- Best means better than all others, while top places something at the highest point of a ranking or list.
- leading
- Leading suggests being in front and influencing others, whereas top simply refers to the highest rank.
- summit
- Summit is a more formal word for the highest point of a mountain, while top is used for anything.
- peak
- Peak suggests a pointed highest part or a high point in activity, but top can be flat or ordinary.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: top or tip?
top vs tip
A tip is the narrow end of something or a piece of advice, while the top is the highest surface or part.
Practice
The new film ______ the box office list for the third week in a row.
Choose one answer.
Top as a verb means to be higher than everything else on a list. Peaked is intransitive and takes no object, and tipped means leaned or gave a gratuity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “top”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.