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Meaning & use

toppled

verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈtɒpld/
US/ˈtɑːpld/

“toppled” is a form of “topple”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive or intransitive

    Past tense and past participle of topple: fell over, or made something fall over, because it was top-heavy or unbalanced.

    Grammar: Intransitive: the tower toppled. Transitive: the wind toppled the tower.

    Patterns

    • something toppled over
    • toppled something

    The pile of books toppled over onto the floor.

    A strong gust toppled the old oak tree.

    The toddler toppled off the sofa.

  2. verbtransitive

    Past tense and past participle of topple: removed a leader, government or company from power.

    Grammar: Takes an object: protesters toppled the government.

    Patterns

    • toppled a government
    • toppled someone from power

    The military toppled the president in a coup.

    A scandal toppled the company's chief executive.

    The team toppled the champions in the final.

Word forms

base formtopple
third person singulartopples
-ing formtoppling

Common combinations

toppled over
The vase toppled over when the cat jumped up.
toppled the government
Mass protests toppled the government within a week.
toppled from power
The dictator was toppled from power after thirty years.
toppled the champions
The underdogs toppled the champions in a surprise win.
toppled a statue
Crowds toppled the statue in the main square.

Synonyms and how they differ

overthrew
Overthrew is used for removing a ruler or system by force, and is more formal than toppled.
overturned
Overturned is mostly for turning something upside down or reversing a decision, not for losing power.
collapsed
Collapsed suggests falling down or failing from within, whereas toppled suggests being pushed or becoming unbalanced.
ousted
Ousted stresses forcing a person out of a position, often without violence.

Opposites

propped upstood firm

Word family

topple verb
to fall or make something fall
toppling noun
the act of falling or being removed from power
top-heavy adjective
likely to fall because the top is too heavy
top noun
the highest part

Commonly confused: toppled or toppled vs tipped?

toppled vs toppled vs tipped

Tipped means tilted or turned over deliberately or slightly, while toppled means fell over because of imbalance or force.

Practice

The rebels ___ the dictator after months of fighting.

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