to top
- verb
- /tɑp/
- How do you top that?
- top the list
- top 80 percent
- top the rate
It's so hard to top, but yeah, the nicest person ever.
- It's so hard to top, but yeah, the nicest person ever.
- I expect that the appalling crisis in Syria will top our discussions.
- But your response to me tops that it is better than snow.
Examples
-
Projections of annual rates of growth top 4 percent for the next 10 to 20 years.
Academic text (1991) -
For this reason, contamination of groundwater supplies often tops the list of public environmental concerns.
Academic text (1998) -
It's gonna be hard to top that one.
-
You got to top what came before to keep people coming back.
-
See if you can top that, man.
-
It's gonna be hard to top that - but I'll do what I can.
-
His team tops the Western Division at 6-2.
-
Indeed, their stock market capitalization now tops the stock market capitalization of large U.S. and European banks.
Academic text (2008) -
In U.S. reactors, the total tops 70,000 tons, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.
Academic text (2011) -
In the final race, she managed to top her rivals and claim first place.
Synonyms
To guide a group or be in charge
To be greater than a set amount or beyond what people expect
To be better than a set standard
To go beyond a limit or expectation
Be in a higher position than someone
Be better than a limit or what people expected
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
To reach the highest place in the music charts because many people buy or play it online
Compounds
- Specialized
Delivered over the internet directly to users instead of through cable services
- Archaic
A tall leather shoe that reaches halfway to the knee and is worn for riding or historical dress
- Archaic
A folding hood on a carriage pulled by horses that protects passengers from rain and wind
- Australian
A tall evergreen tree from Tasmania with strong, fine wood that people use for boats and building
- Specialized
A tall North American plant with long white flowers that keeps insects away
- Informal
Loud exaggerated actions meant to get attention or make people laugh
- Archaic
A small table with a top that can be turned up to stand upright to save space
- Specialized
A yeast that rises to the top when beer is made and is used to brew ales
- Specialized
A thin layer of compost or fertilizer spread on top of soil to help plants grow without mixing it in
- Specialized
A way of making beer where yeast rises to the top at warm temperatures for ales
- Specialized
A plant that makes small bulbs at the top instead of flowers and gives young shoots for salads
- Specialized
A long horizontal pole high on a sailing ship that holds the topgallant sail
How Superior
Surface Forms
Etymology
Top as a verb meaning to be better comes from the noun for the highest part, so to top someone is to put yourself above them or do better than them. The idea is to reach a higher place or level.