Top means the highest point, part, or surface of something (noun); the best, most important, or highest-ranking (adjective); to surpass or be better than something (verb).
What Does Top Mean?
Top is one of the oldest and most versatile words in English. It comes from Old English top, meaning the highest point or the tuft of hair at the crown of the head, and is related to Old High German zopf (a pigtail or tuft) and Dutch top. It has been in continuous use for over a thousand years.
In its core sense as a noun, top refers to the highest or uppermost part of anything — a mountain top, the top of a page, the top of a building. The adjective sense extends this naturally: a top student is the one who achieves the most; a top priority is the most important task. As a verb, to top something means to be better than it or to place something on the upper surface of it.
Top also forms a large family of fixed expressions and phrasal verbs that are essential for natural English: on top of, over the top, top up, top secret, come top. Because the word appears in so many collocations, learners who study these fixed phrases alongside the core meaning will see an immediate improvement in fluency.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & Usage note |
|---|---|
| The cat sat at the top of the stairs and waited. | A2 — noun, highest point |
| She came top of the class in the end-of-year grammar test. | B1 — verb phrase, achieve the best result |
| Finding a good work–life balance is his top priority this year. | B1 — adjective, most important |
| The athlete topped her personal best by nearly two seconds. | B2 — verb, to surpass or exceed |
| The minister's remarks were widely condemned as over the top, given the sensitivity of the situation. | C1 — fixed expression, excessive or exaggerated |
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning & example |
|---|---|
| top of the class | the best-performing student — He finished top of the class. |
| top priority | the most important task — Safety is our top priority. |
| top speed | maximum speed — The car reached top speed on the motorway. |
| top floor | the highest floor of a building — The penthouse is on the top floor. |
| over the top | excessive, exaggerated — Her reaction was a bit over the top. |
| on top of | in addition to / in control of — On top of her studies, she works part-time. |
| top secret | highly confidential — The documents were marked top secret. |
| top up | to add more of something to fill it — Can I top up your glass? |
| from top to bottom | completely, thoroughly — They cleaned the house from top to bottom. |
| at the top of one's voice | as loudly as possible — She shouted his name at the top of her voice. |
Usage Notes
How to Use Top Correctly
Noun: Top is countable as a concrete noun — the top of the hill, a table top. It is also used in uncountable fixed expressions: at the top, on top.
Adjective: Top precedes the noun it modifies: a top student, the top result. It cannot follow a linking verb in the same way as most adjectives (*The student is top sounds informal or incomplete in standard written English; prefer She came top or She is the top student).
Verb: To top is transitive — it must be followed by an object: She topped the class. Nothing topped that meal. The past tense doubles the final consonant: topped, topping.
British English note: Come top (without an article) is a standard British expression: She came top in the exam. American English more commonly says finish first or rank first.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She is very top student in the school.
She is the top student in the school. (top is an adjective here — it needs an article before the noun phrase)
He toped his previous score by ten points.
He topped his previous score by ten points. (double the final consonant before -ed)
On top, she also has a part-time job.
On top of that, she also has a part-time job. (the fixed phrase is on top of, not on top alone)