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top - 23 dictionary results

top

1  [top] ,noun, adjective, verb, topped, top⋅ping.
Use top in a Sentence
–noun
1. the highest or loftiest point or part of anything; apex; summit.
2. the uppermost or upper part, surface, etc., of anything.
3. the higher end of anything on a slope.
4. British.
a. a part considered as higher: the top of the street.
b. high gear of an automobile.
5. tops,
a. the part of a plant that grows above ground, esp. of an edible root.
b. one of the tender tips of the branches or shoots of plants.
6. the part of anything that is first or foremost; beginning: Let's go over it from the top again.
7. the highest or leading place, position, rank, etc.: at the top of the class.
8. the highest point, pitch, or degree: to talk at the top of one's voice.
9. a person or thing that occupies the highest or leading position.
10. the best or choicest part: the top of all creation.
11. a covering or lid, as of a container or vehicle.
12. the head.
13. any of various outer garments for the upper body, as a blouse, shirt, or sweater: a sale on cotton tops and shorts.
14. Nautical. a platform surrounding the head of a lower mast on a ship, and serving as a foothold, a means of extending the upper rigging, etc.
15. Chemistry. the part of a mixture under distillation that volatilizes first.
16. Bridge.
a. the best card of a suit in a player's hand.
b. (in duplicate bridge) the best score on a hand.
17. Sports.
a. a stroke that hits the ball above its center.
b. the forward spin given to the ball by such a stroke.
18. Baseball.
a. the first half of an inning.
b. the first three batters in the batting order.
19. Textiles.
a. a cluster of textile fibers, esp. tow, put on a distaff.
b. a strand of the long wool fibers in sliver form, separated from noil by combing and wound into a large ball.
c. a similar strand of rayon.
20. Jewelry. crown (def. 27).
21. the tops, Informal. the most outstanding person or thing in ability, favor, etc.: As a friend, she's the tops.
–adjective
22. pertaining to, situated at, or forming the top; highest; uppermost; upper: the top shelf.
23. highest in degree; greatest: to pay top prices.
24. foremost, chief, or principal: to win top honors in a competition.
–verb (used with object)
25. to furnish with a top; put a top on.
26. to be at or constitute the top of.
27. to reach the top of.
28. to rise above: The sun had topped the horizon.
29. to exceed in height, amount, number, etc.
30. to surpass, excel, or outdo: That tops everything.
31. Theater. (in spoken dialogue) to reply in a voice of greater volume or higher pitch: King Henry must top the crowd noises in his St. Crispin's Day speech.
32. to surmount with something specified: to top a sundae with whipped cream.
33. to remove the top of; crop; prune: to top a tall tree.
34. to get or leap over the top of (a fence, barrier, etc.).
35. Chemistry. to distill off only the most volatile part of (a mixture).
36. Sports.
a. to strike (the ball) above its center, giving it a forward spin.
b. to make (a stroke) by hitting the ball in this manner.
37. to top-dress (land).
38. Obsolete. to have coitus with (a woman).
–verb (used without object)
39. to rise aloft.
—Verb phrases
40. top off,
a. to climax or complete, esp. in an exceptional manner; finish: They topped off the evening with a ferryboat ride at midnight.
b. to fill (a partly full container) completely: to top off a gas tank.
41. top out,
a. to finish the top of (a structure).
b. to reach the highest level.
—Idioms
42. blow one's top, Informal.
a. to become enraged; lose one's temper.
b. to go mad; become insane: He must have blown his top to make such a fool of himself.
43. off the top of one's head, Informal. head (def. 77).
44. on top, successful; victorious; dominant: to stay on top.
45. on top of,
a. over or upon.
b. in addition to; over and above.
c. close upon; following upon: Gale winds came on top of the floods.
d. in complete control: on top of the problem.
46. on top of the world,
a. successful.
b. elated: The success made her feel on top of the world.
47. over the top,
a. Military. over the top of the parapet before a trench, as in issuing to charge against the enemy.
b. surpassing a goal, quota, or limit.
48. top oneself, Chiefly British. to kill oneself.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME, OE; c. D top, G Zopf, ON toppr top

Synonyms:
1. zenith, acme, peak, pinnacle, vertex. 33. lop.

Antonyms:
1. bottom.

top

2  [top]
–noun
1. a toy, often inversely conical, with a point on which it is made to spin.
—Idiom
2. sleep like a top, to sleep soundly: After a day of hiking and swimming we slept like tops.
Origin:
bef. 1100; ME, OE; c. Fris, dial. D top

top-

 
var. of topo- before a vowel: toponym.

crown

  [kroun]
–noun
1. any of various types of headgear worn by a monarch as a symbol of sovereignty, often made of precious metal and ornamented with valuable gems.
2. a similar ornamental headgear worn by a person designated king or queen in a pageant, contest, etc.
3. an ornamental wreath or circlet for the head, conferred by the ancients as a mark of victory, athletic or military distinction, etc.
4. the distinction that comes from a great achievement.
5. the power or dominion of a sovereign.
6. (often initial capital letter) the sovereign as head of the state, or the supreme governing power of a state under a monarchical government.
7. any crownlike emblem or design, as in a heraldic crest.
8. the top or highest part of anything, as of a hat or a mountain.
9. the top of the head: Jack fell down and broke his crown.
10. Dentistry.
a. the part of a tooth that is covered by enamel.
b. an artificial substitute, as of gold or porcelain, for the crown of a tooth.
11. the highest point of any construction of convex section or outline, as an arch, vault, deck, or road.
12. the highest or most nearly perfect state of anything.
13. an exalting or chief attribute.
14. the acme or supreme source of honor, excellence, beauty, etc.
15. something having the form of a crown, as the corona of a flower.
16. Botany.
a. the leaves and living branches of a tree.
b. the point at which the root of a seed plant joins the stem.
c. a circle of appendages on the throat of the corolla; corona.
17. the crest, as of a bird.
18. Architecture.
a. a termination of a tower consisting of a lanternlike steeple supported entirely by a number of flying buttresses.
b. any ornamental termination of a tower or turret.
19. Also called button. Horology. a knurled knob for winding a watch.
20. any of various coins bearing the figure of a crown or crowned head.
21. a former silver coin of the United Kingdom, equal to five shillings: retained in circulation equal to 25 new pence after decimalization in 1971.
22. the monetary unit of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden: a krona or krone.
23. the koruna of Czechoslovakia.
24. a crimped metal bottle cap.
25. crown glass.
26. Cookery. crown roast.
27. Also called bezel, top. Jewelry. the part of a cut gem above the girdle.
28. a drill bit consisting of a metal matrix holding diamond chips.
29. Also called head. Nautical. the part of an anchor at which the arms join the shank.
30. Machinery.
a. a slight convexity given to a pulley supporting a flat belt in order to center the belt.
b. a slight convexity given to the outer faces of the teeth of two gears so that they mesh toward their centers rather than at the ends.
31. a size of printing paper, 15 × 20 in. (38 × 51 cm). Compare double crown.
32. Nautical, Machinery. swallow 1 (def. 12).
33. Knots. a knot made by interweaving the strands at the end of a rope, often made as the beginning of a back splice or as the first stage in tying a more elaborate knot.
34. a crownpiece.
–verb (used with object)
35. to invest with a regal crown, or with regal dignity and power.
36. to place a crown or garland upon the head of.
37. to honor or reward; invest with honor, dignity, etc.
38. to be at the top or highest part of.
39. to complete worthily; bring to a successful or triumphant conclusion: The award crowned his career.
40. Informal. to hit on the top of the head: She crowned her brother with a picture book.
41. to give to (a construction) an upper surface of convex section or outline.
42. to cap (a tooth) with a false crown.
43. Checkers. to change (a checker) into a king after having safely reached the last row.
44. Knots. to form a crown on (the end of a rope).
–verb (used without object)
45. Medicine/Medical. (of a baby in childbirth) to reach a stage in delivery where the largest diameter of the fetal head is emerging from the pelvic outlet.
Origin:
1125–75; ME coroune, cr(o)une < AF coroune < L corōna wreath; see corona

Related forms:
crownless, adjective

topo-

 
a combining form meaning “place,” “local,” used in the formation of compound words: topography; topology.
Also, especially before a vowel, top-.

Origin:
comb. form of Gk tópos place, commonplace
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To top
top 1   (tŏp)   
n.  
  1. The uppermost part, point, surface, or end.
  2. The part farthest from a given reference point: took a jump shot from the top of the key.
  3. The crown of the head: from top to toe.
  4. The part of a plant, such as a rutabaga, that is above the ground.
  5. Something, such as a lid or cap, that covers or forms an uppermost part.
  6. A garment worn on the upper half of the body, especially a sweater or knit shirt.
  7. Nautical A platform enclosing the head of each mast of a sailing ship, to which the topmast rigging is attached.
  8. The highest degree, pitch, or point; the peak, acme, or zenith: "It had come at a time when he was not feeling at the top of his form" (Anthony Powell).
    1. The highest position or rank: at the top of his profession.
    2. A person in this position.
    3. A stroke that lands above the center of a ball, as in golf or tennis, giving it a forward spin.
    4. A forward spin on a ball resulting from such a stroke.
  10. Games The highest card or cards in a suit or hand.
  11. The best part.
  12. The earliest part or beginning: She played the piece again, from the top.
  13. Baseball The first half of an inning.
  14. Sports
    1. A stroke that lands above the center of a ball, as in golf or tennis, giving it a forward spin.
    2. A forward spin on a ball resulting from such a stroke.
adj.  
  1. Situated at the top: the top shelf.
  2. Of the highest degree, quality, rank, or amount: in top form; the top ten bestsellers.
  3. In a position of preeminence: the top historian in her department.
v.   topped, top·ping, tops

v.   tr.
  1. To form, furnish with, or serve as a top.
  2. To reach the top of.
  3. To go over the top of.
  4. To exceed or surpass.
  5. To be at the head of: She topped her class.
  6. To remove the top or uppermost part from; crop: topped the fruit trees.
  7. Sports
    1. To strike the upper part of (a ball), giving it forward spin.
    2. To make (a stroke) in this way.
v.   intr.
To make a finish, an end, or a conclusion.
Phrasal Verbs:
top off
  1. To fill up (a container), especially when it is almost full to begin with.
  2. To finish up.
  3. To put the framework for the top story on (a building).
  4. To fill up (a ship, for example).
  5. To cease rising: Interest rates topped out at 16 percent.
  6. Informal To give up one's career just as one becomes highly successful.
Phrasal Verb(s):
top off
  1. To fill up (a container), especially when it is almost full to begin with.
  2. To finish up.
top out
  1. To put the framework for the top story on (a building).
  2. To fill up (a ship, for example).
  3. To cease rising: Interest rates topped out at 16 percent.
  4. Informal To give up one's career just as one becomes highly successful.

Idiom(s):
off the top of (one's) head Informal In an impromptu way: She recited the poem off the top of her head.

Idiom(s):
on top
  1. At the highest point or peak.
  2. In a dominant, controlling, or successful position.

Idiom(s):
on top of Informal
  1. In control of.
  2. Fully informed about: a senator who is always on top of the issues.
  3. In addition to; besides: On top of this, several other benefits are being offered.
  4. Following closely on; coming immediately after: Hail came on top of a violent thunderstorm.

Idiom(s):
on top of the world Informal In a position of great happiness or success.

Idiom(s):
over the top
  1. Surpassing a goal or quota.
  2. Excessively expressive or dramatic.
  3. Over the breastwork, as an attack in trench warfare: "a whole battalion, onto the beachhead, over the top" (Margaret Atwood).

[Middle English, from Old English.]
top 2   (tŏp)   
n.  A toy having one end tapered to a point, allowing it to be spun, as by suddenly pulling a string wound around it.

[Middle English, from Old English.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Top

Top\, n. (Golf) (a) A stroke on the top of the ball. (b) A forward spin given to the ball by hitting it on or near the top.

From top to toe, from head to foot; altogether.

Top

Top\, v. t. 1. (Dyeing) To cover with another dye; as, to top aniline black with methyl violet to prevent greening and crocking.

2. To put a stiffening piece or back on (a saw blade).

3. To arrange, as fruit, with the best on top. [Cant]

4. To strike the top of, as a wall, with the hind feet, in jumping, so as to gain new impetus; -- said of a horse.

5. To improve (domestic animals, esp. sheep) by crossing certain individuals or breeds with other superior.

6. (Naut.) To raise one end of, as a yard, so that that end becomes higher than the other.

7. To cut, break, or otherwise take off the top of (a steel ingot) to remove unsound metal.

8. (Golf) To strike (the ball) above the center; also, to make (as a stroke) by hitting the ball in this way.

Top

Top\, v. i. 1. (Golf) To strike a ball above the center.

2. (Naut.) To rise at one end, as a yard; -- usually with up.

Top

Top\, n. [CF. OD. dop, top, OHG., MNG., & dial. G. topf; perhaps akin to G. topf a pot.]

1. A child's toy, commonly in the form of a conoid or pear, made to spin on its point, usually by drawing off a string wound round its surface or stem, the motion being sometimes continued by means of a whip.

2. (Rope Making) A plug, or conical block of wood, with longitudital grooves on its surface, in which the strands of the rope slide in the process of twisting.

Top

Top\, n. [AS. top; akin to OFries. top a tuft, D. top top, OHG. zopf end, tip, tuft of hair, G. zopf tuft of hair, pigtail, top of a tree, Icel. toppr a tuft of hair, crest, top, Dan. top, Sw. topp pinnacle, top; of uncertain origin. Cf. Tuft.]

1. The highest part of anything; the upper end, edge, or extremity; the upper side or surface; summit; apex; vertex; cover; lid; as, the top of a spire; the top of a house; the top of a mountain; the top of the ground.

The star that bids the shepherd fold, Now the top of heaven doth hold. --Milton.

2. The utmost degree; the acme; the summit.

The top of my ambition is to contribute to that work. --Pope.

3. The highest rank; the most honorable position; the utmost attainable place; as, to be at the top of one's class, or at the top of the school.

And wears upon his baby brow the round And top of sovereignty. --Shak.

4. The chief person; the most prominent one.

Other . . . aspired to be the top of zealots. --Milton.

5. The crown of the head, or the hair upon it; the head. "From top to toe" --Spenser.

All the stored vengeance of Heaven fall On her ungrateful top ! --Shak.

6. The head, or upper part, of a plant.

The buds . . . are called heads, or tops, as cabbageheads. --I. Watts.

7. (Naut.) A platform surrounding the head of the lower mast and projecting on all sudes. It serves to spead the topmast rigging, thus strengheningthe mast, and also furnishes a convenient standing place for the men aloft. --Totten.

8. (Wool Manuf.) A bundle or ball of slivers of comkbed wool, from which the noils, or dust, have been taken out.

9. Eve; verge; point. [R.] "He was upon the top of his marriage with Magdaleine." --Knolles.

10. The part of a cut gem between the girdle, or circumference, and the table, or flat upper surface. --Knight.

11. pl. Top-boots. [Slang] --Dickens.

Note: Top is often used adjectively or as the first part of compound words, usually self-explaining; as, top stone, or topstone; top-boots, or top boots; top soil, or top-soil.

Top and but (Shipbuilding), a phrase used to denote a method of working long tapering planks by bringing the but of one plank to the top of the other to make up a constant breadth in two layers.

Top minnow (Zo["o]l.), a small viviparous fresh-water fish (Gambusia patruelis) abundant in the Southern United States. Also applied to other similar species.

Top

Top\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Topped; p. pr. & vb. n. Topping.]

1. To rise aloft; to be eminent; to tower; as, lofty ridges and topping mountains. --Derham.

2. To predominate; as, topping passions. "Influenced by topping uneasiness." --Locke.

3. To excel; to rise above others.

But write thy, and top. --Dryden.

Top

Top\, v. t. 1. To cover on the top; to tip; to cap; -- chiefly used in the past participle.

Like moving mountains topped with snow. --Waller.

A mount Of alabaster, topped with golden spires. --Milton.

2. To rise above; to excel; to outgo; to surpass.

Topping all others in boasting. --Shak.

Edmund the base shall top the legitimate. --Shak.

3. To rise to the top of; to go over the top of.

But wind about till thou hast topped the hill. --Denham.

4. To take off the or upper part of; to crop.

Top your rose trees a little with your knife. --Evelyn.

5. To perform eminently, or better than before.

From endeavoring universally to top their parts, they will go universally beyond them. --Jeffrey.

6. (Naut.) To raise one end of, as a yard, so that that end becomes higher than the other.

To top off, to complete by putting on, or finishing, the top or uppermost part of; as, to top off a stack of hay; hence, to complete; to finish; to adorn.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : top
Spanish: cumbre, lo alto,
German: die Spitze,
Japanese: てっぺん
More Translations »

top  (1)
"highest point," O.E. top "summit, crest, tuft," from P.Gmc. *tuppaz (cf. O.N. toppr "tuft of hair," O.Fris. top "tuft," O.Du. topp, Du. top, O.H.G. zopf "end, tip, tuft of hair," Ger. Zopf "tuft of hair"); no certain connections outside Gmc. except a few Romanic words probably borrowed from Gmc. Few IE languages have a word so generic, which can be used of the upper part or surface of just about anything. More typical is Ger., which has Spitze for sharp peaks (mountains), oberfläche for the upper surface of flat things (such as a table). The verb meaning "put a top on" is from 1581; the meaning "be higher or greater than" is first recorded 1582. To top off "finish" is colloquial from 1836; top-hat is from 1881; topper "the best (of anything)" first recorded in slang, 1709; topping "top layer" is first attested 1839. Top-heavy is first attested 1533. Top dog first attested 1900; top-drawer (1920) is from Brit. expression out of the top drawer "upper-class." Topless "bare-breasted" first recorded 1966 (earlier it was used of men's bathing suits, 1937); tops "the best" is from 1935.

top  (2)
"toy that spins on a point," late O.E. top, probably a special use of top (1), but the modern word is perhaps via O.Fr. topet, which is from a Gmc. source akin to the root of Eng. top (1). As a type of seashell, first recorded 1682.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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TOP

In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Tong P'anga.

Investopedia Commentary

The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion.

See also: Currency, FOREX, Hard Currency, Money

Also spelled: TOP


Top

The highest price level reached by a security, index of securities, commodity or economic cycle in a given time period, followed by at least a short-term decline.

Investopedia Commentary

Security prices and economic cycles commonly move in trends, following an upward trend for a time before reversing and moving downwards for a period. The point at which a trend reversal switches from an upward to a downward one is referred to as the top. Short- to medium-term traders like to sell at or near the top before the downward trend begins.

Related Links

Trading Double Tops and Double Bottoms
Introduction to Swing Charting
A Look at Exit Strategies

See also: Ascending Tops, Blow-Off Top, Bottom, Descending Tops, Head and Shoulders Pattern, Technical Analysis

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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top

The highest level to which a stock, a market index, or some other asset will rise. A top may be short-term or long-term, depending upon the type of price movement being evaluated. Compare bottom.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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TOP
Technical/Office Protocol

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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top

In addition to the idioms beginning with top, also see at the top of one's lungs; big top; blow one's top; brass hat (top brass); from head to toe (top to toe); off the top of one's head; on top; on top of; on top of the world; over the top; sleep like a log (top); thin on top.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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TOP
  1. temporarily out of print
  2. Tonga—pa'anga (currency)
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

top

a toy having a body of conical, circular, or oval shape, often hollow, with a point or peg on which it turns or is made to whirl. If given a knock, a spinning top will go around in a circle at a slant; if spun with a slant at the start, it will quickly stand upright until halted by friction. Its physical properties are similar to those of the gyroscope. Some tops, as the common peg top, are spun by means of a cord. Whipping tops are kept spinning by whips with a lash. Other tops are spun by a twist of the hand or the action of a spring or a plunger. Some hollow tops, such as the thunder tops of Japan, have holes cut in them to produce a hum or roar.

Learn more about top with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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