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to top with

to top with

43 2.8
Put something on top of food to finish and make it look nicer
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : cubrir con
  • Later in the day, both batches were heaped together, topped with yam flowers and the other offerings.
  • topped with barbed wire
  • walls topped with barbed wire
  • topped with a statue

And then top it with this guy here.

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Examples

  • You can top your pancakes with fresh berries and maple syrup.

  • And then you're going to top it with coconut shavings.

  • Top it off with this.

  • And now it's time to top it off with a red matte lipstick.

  • The pie was tall and yellow and topped with a great lather of whipped cream.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • A waitress brought them two cups of hot chocolate topped with swirls of chemically created fluff.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Try our streusel, butterscotch chip and caramel-filled buttermilk flapjacks, topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream and crushed candy canes.

  • Tsunami burger, cooked to your liking, topped with three types of cheese, zesty sauce, fresh tomatoes, cool greens, jalapenos, and topped with our world famous homemade guacamole.

  • For the final touch, I'll top the cake with whipped cream and sprinkles.

  • He decided to top his sandwich with avocado and sliced tomatoes.

Synonyms

to top
vsto top with
92 3.2

To finish something by adding a final detail or touch

adds a physical item onto another object as the final layer
to crown
vsto top with
33 4.4

To be placed at the top of something as the final or most important part

is used for adding a decorative final layer rather than status
to cap
vsto top with
30 3.8

To form a cover on the top of something

places an added item as a decorative final layer
to superimpose
vsto top with
24 6.7

To put one thing on top of another so both are visible

adds a final visible decoration rather than overlapping for visibility
to overlay
vsto top with
11 4.2

To cover something with a layer of material

adds a single decorative layer rather than a full continuous covering
to top off
vsto top with
  • Informal
5 3.6

Fill something to the top until it almost overflows

adds a decorative item as a final layer rather than filling capacity
to superpose
vsto top with
1 8.5

To put one thing on top of another so they line up and can be seen

adds a decorative top layer instead of aligning or matching layers

Antonyms

5 8.5

A degree of separation between people or things

How Covered

to cover
1.0
to layer
64 3.4
to top with
43 2.8
coat
92 2.5
to sprinkle
100 1.1

Surface Forms

top with infinitive
topped with past participle
topping with present participle
tops with third person singular

Morphology

top + with

The sense 'to add or put something on top' is directly and compositionally derived from 'top' (to add a final detail or garnish) plus the preposition 'with' (indicating accompaniment or the thing used). This is a common verb + preposition construction found across languages and follows straightforward compositional semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The verb top with shows the simple picture of putting something on top of another thing. You top a cake with strawberries as the last touch, so top with means 'to add a final layer or decoration'.