overtop

[ verb oh-ver-top; noun oh-ver-top ]
See synonyms for overtop on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),o·ver·topped, o·ver·top·ping.
  1. to rise over or above the top of: a skyscraper that overtops all the other buildings.

  2. to rise above in authority; take precedence over; override: No individual shall overtop the law.

  1. to surpass or excel: a rise in sales that overtopped everyone in the industry.

noun
  1. a top, sometimes sleeveless, designed to be worn over another garment, as a shirt or dress.

Origin of overtop

1
First recorded in 1555–65; over- + top1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use overtop in a sentence

  • In the middle of this natural parterre the stone was placed, and was overtopped by this growth, and thus concealed by it.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • The Queen would not be better able than her subjects to measure the particular mode in which Ralegh overtopped his neighbours.

    Sir Walter Ralegh | William Stebbing
  • In the season of cold the waters were all locked up, and the snows overtopped the ridge of the cabins.

  • After several hours we overtopped the last terrace and stood on flat ground—the crest of a ridge.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • A sharp look-out was kept, and towards 11 P.M. a rim of clear sky overtopped the southern horizon.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for overtop

overtop

/ (ˌəʊvəˈtɒp) /


verb-tops, -topping or -topped (tr)
  1. to exceed in height

  2. to surpass; excel

  1. to rise over the top of

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012