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bottom

bottom

270 1.0
At the lowest or deepest level
  • adjective
  • /ˈbɑːtəm/
: inferior
  • I started with the first book on the bottom shelf and went through the lot, one by one.
  • bottom half
  • bottom rung
  • bottom row

Yeah, and well, is it bottom left, bottom right?

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Examples

  • We're on the bottom floor of the station.

  • The band has showered and loaded equipment into the bottom compartment of the bus.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Hey, check the bottom camera.

  • It's in the bottom right-hand drawer.

  • Now, LHA only meets the rents of properties in the bottom 30% of the local housing market, down from 50%.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Students placed in developmental education, particularly at the bottom level, have low odds of eventually moving on to credit coursework.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The first choice is often at the bottom of the list.

  • She placed the box at the bottom of the pile so it wouldn’t topple over.

  • Please clean the bottom shelf of the cabinet before organizing the dishes.

Synonyms

lowest
vsbottom
100 1.0

At the bottom in rank or importance in a group

is used more widely to mean position at the base or depth
bottommost
vsbottom
1 4.4

Lowest in a pile or on a shelf

is the general term that also applies to rank or level
lowermost
vsbottom
1 5.0

At the very bottom of something

is the usual word for lowest place or for rank
nethermost
vsbottom
  • Archaic
1 9.8

At the lowest part of something

is the common term covering lowest place or social rank
undermost
vsbottom
1 6.6

In the lowest position under all other parts

is the broader term covering lowest place or rank

Antonyms

top
∞ 1.0

Located at the highest position

Idioms

40 3.2

To do something completely by checking every part

25 4.8

To reach the lowest point in your life before you begin to get better

12 6.6

The worst choices left after better ones are gone

at bottom
  • Formal
6 6.6

Basically what is most true about someone or something

Use the least good options because nothing better is left

Suddenly become much worse or fail after being stable

To be very sure that something will happen

A late action that deals with a problem only after it has happened

To risk all your money because you are sure something will happen

Compounds

bottom line
  • Informal
393 3.7

The most important point in a situation

bottom line
  • Specialized
86 4.0

The final total showing a company's profit or loss

rock bottom
  • Informal
47 4.4

A very low point in life, money, or feelings

21 6.0

A way that starts with small parts and moves to the whole

16 7.4

The last part of the final inning in baseball when the home team bats, a final chance to win

bottom feeder
  • Offensive
14 7.7

A person who gains from other people's problems by taking advantage of them

9 4.5

At the lowest possible price or level

The second half of an inning when the home team bats

bell-bottom
  • Archaic
5 3.9

Trousers with legs that become wider below the knee

Foggy Bottom
  • Literature
4 8.2

A nickname for the United States government office that deals with other countries

An amount of money that is as low as possible

3 2.9

The ground at the lowest part of a river channel where water flows

3 3.7

Having a level base that is not curved

3 3.7

The lowest part of the sea where sand and mud rest

3 2.5

The floor of the sea where sand, rocks, and animals live

An animal, often a fish, that lives on the bottom of rivers or lakes and eats dead plants and animals

1 3.1

Ground under the water at the lowest part of a lake

1 7.5

A hidden board in a box or trunk that makes a secret space for hiding things

A cheaper model in a product range that has lower quality and is chosen to save money

An animal like a fish that lives and eats on the bottom of a lake, river, or sea

1 5.6

Having a curved bottom rather than a flat one

bottom dog
  • Offensive
1 9.2

A person or group with low rank who usually loses in competition

bottom quark
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A very small particle created in particle experiments that is much heavier than an electron

1 4.6

A fish that lives near the sea floor, like cod or haddock

The lowest point something can reach

round-bottom flask
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A glass container with a round body and a narrow neck used for heating or mixing chemicals

1 3.1

A container with a level base that stands steadily

With a bottom made of copper often used for pans

A fish that lives near the bottom of lakes, rivers, or the sea

1 5.8

A cut of beef from the rear leg used for pot roast

1 9.9

Influence from people in a community, sometimes using sexual appeal to sway decisions

1 4.1

A boat with a level hull for shallow, calm water

bottom rot
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A disease caused by a fungus that makes the bottom leaves of plants rot first

bottom fermentation
  • Specialized
6.3

A slow, cold process that makes alcohol in beer where yeast settles to the bottom, used to make lager beers

5.5

A yeast that sinks to the bottom of a beer tank and makes lager beer

A fish that lives on the bottom of a tank or lake and stays still to catch prey

bottom rot fungus
  • Specialized
8.7

A fungus that makes the lower parts of lettuce and other plants rot

A habit of always expecting the worst in situations

copper-bottom
  • Specialized
8.5

A sheet of copper fixed to a ship's bottom to stop barnacles and sea life

fidget-bottom
  • Informal
9.9

A person who cannot sit still and often moves or plays with things

8.1

A very large blue-grey whale that migrates in southern oceans

How Low

bottom
270 1.0
lower
458 1.0
middle
∞ 1.0
upper
488 1.0
top
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

bottom positive

Etymology

As an adjective, bottom simply means 'lowest' and comes from the same old root botm meaning 'low place'. So when something is at the bottom, it is in the lowest position or level.