to top off
30
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /tɑp ɔf/
- Informal
:
rematar
- Donna placed all the cans of food in their cabinets, and to top it off, she cooked Mrs. Goodwin a whole dinner.
Third step to that is top it off with a little more powder.
- Third step to that is top it off with a little more powder.
- And to top it all off, literally to top it all off, bacon bits.
Examples
-
You need to top off your makeup.
-
And then, to top it all off, we celebrate our success with some burritos from that taco place that's on the corner.
-
And on that note, I am going to top us off with some wine.
-
Then you just top it off with the potato.
-
Third step to that is top it off with a little more powder.
-
Casually, she picked up the wine bottle and topped off both glasses.
Fiction book (1999) -
Proms, the college of your choice, and a big splashy wedding to top it off.
Fiction book (1995) -
For added protein, top it off with a dollop of yogurt or peanut butter.
Blog text (16) -
And an excellent way to maximize a vacation trip is to top it off with a relaxing and comforting massage.
Blog text (16) -
For dessert, we will top off the meal with a rich chocolate cake.
Synonyms
92
3.2
To finish something by adding a final detail or touch
43
2.8
Put something on top of food to finish and make it look nicer
31
2.5
To complete the last part of a task
11
4.0
To complete something by adding the final touches
7
3.7
Finish something with a special final action like a show or speech
1
3.6
To add small final touches to make something complete
To finish something in a very impressive way
Antonyms
How Complete
33
4.4
- Informal
30
3.9
1
3.6
226
3.0
125
1.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to bring to a satisfying conclusion by adding something extra' is directly derivable from combining 'top' (to add a final detail or reach the highest point) with the particle 'off' functioning as a completive/finishing marker in verb+particle constructions. This verb+particle pattern is common and predictable in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents and basic phrasal-verb patterns can infer the sense.
Etymology
The verb top off comes from the image of putting one last thing on the top of something, like a cherry on a cake, where the off is the final touch. That's why it means 'to finish something by adding a final small extra'.