toppers

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralinformalold-fashioned

   Hats, especially formal or decorative ones worn on top of the head.

   Grammar: Always used in the plural when talking about hats in general; the singular 'topper' means one hat.

   Patterns

   • wear toppers
   • a pair of toppers

   The guests arrived in long coats and shiny toppers.

   He collects old toppers from the 1920s.

2. 2nounplural

   Small decorations put on top of cakes, cupcakes, or other food.

   Grammar: Countable; use 'a topper' for one decoration. Often used in baking and party contexts.

   Patterns

   • cake toppers
   • put toppers on something

   She bought star-shaped toppers for the birthday cupcakes.

   The cake had little sugar toppers in pink and white.

3. 3nounpluralinformal

   People or things that are the best or most successful in a group.

   Grammar: Informal; often used in phrases like 'the toppers' meaning the top performers.

   Patterns

   • the toppers
   • class toppers

   The class toppers were given certificates at the end of term.

   Their new phone is one of the toppers in this year's reviews.

Word forms

Common combinations

cake toppers

We ordered custom cake toppers for the wedding.

wear a topper

He wore a black topper to the formal dinner.

class toppers

The class toppers received extra tutoring sessions.

tree topper

A bright star served as the tree topper.

Synonyms and how they differ

hat

A general word for any head covering; 'topper' is more specific and sounds old-fashioned or informal.

decoration

A general word for something added to make a thing look nicer; 'topper' specifically goes on top.

Word family

top noun

The highest part or surface of something.

top verb

To be at the highest position or to exceed something.

Commonly confused: toppers or topper?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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