top

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. crown, head; acme, summit, pinnacle; pick, elite; lid, cover. — v. crown, cap; prune, excel, dominate. See superiority, height.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Highest]

Syn. topmost, uppermost, highest, on the upper end; see highest .

Ant. bottommost, lowest*, bottom.

2. [Best]

Syn. prime, head, first, among the first; see best 1 .

n.

1. [The uppermost portion]

Syn. peak, summit, crown, head, crest, tip, apex, cap, crowning point, acme, headpiece, capital, pinnacle, zenith, consummation, spire, knap, finial; see also height 1 .

Ant. bottom*, lower end, nadir.

2. [A cover]

Syn. lid, roof, ceiling; see cover 1 .

3. [A spinning toy]

Syn. spinner, peg top, whipping top, musical top, whistling top, teetotum, put-and-take top, dreidel; see also toy 1 .

4. [*The leader]

Syn. head, captain, chief, master; see chief 1 , leader 2 .

• blow one's top*,

Syn. lose one's temper, become angry, be enraged; see rage 1 .

• off the top of one's head*,

Syn. speaking offhand, chatting, casually, off the cuff; see extemporaneous .

• on top,

Syn. prosperous, thriving, superior, at the top; see successful .

v.

1. [To remove the top]

Syn. prune, lop off, trim, cut off, decapitate, scrape off, pare down, shave off, amputate, file off, pollard, truncate, shear; see also cut 1 .

2. [To exceed]

Syn. better, beat, excel, surpass, go beyond, overrun; see also exceed .

Ant. approach*, approximate, come near to.

3. [To apply topping]

Syn. cover, dye, roof, superimpose, spread over, hood, cloak, screen, protect, reinforce, clothe, coat; see also paint 2 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. highest point peak, pinnacle, summit, apex, zenith, height, roof, crown, crest, vertex, cap.

2. lid cap, cover, stopper, cork.

ANT.: 1. bottom, low point, foot

II

v.

1. surpass best, beat, outdistance, outperform, outclass, eclipse, exceed, outshine, outdo, dominate, *leave the competition in one's wake, *blow away, *skunk.

2. cover cap, crown, put over.

ANT.: 1. fail, lose, lag behind, trail

III

a.

highest, uppermost, topmost, leading, chief, dominant, greatest, best, paramount, highest-ranking, capital, most important, supreme, foremost, preeminent.

ANT.: bottom, lowest, worst

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. The highest point: apex, cap, crest, crown, height, peak, roof, summit, vertex. See HIGH. 2. The outer layer of an object: face, surface. See SURFACE. 3. The highest point or state: acme, apex, apogee, climax, crest, crown, culmination, height, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith. Informal: payoff. Medicine: fastigium. See HIGH. 4. The greatest quantity or highest degree attainable: maximum, outside, ultimate, utmost, uttermost. Idiom: ne plus ultra. See HIGH, LIMITED. 5. The superlative or most preferable part of something: best, choice, cream, creme de la creme, elite, flower, pick, prize1. Idioms: cream of the crop, flower of the flock, pick of the bunch (or crop). See BETTER. II adjective 1. Of, being, located at, or forming the top: highest, loftiest, topmost, upmost, uppermost. See HIGH. 2. Greatest in quantity or highest in degree that has been or can be attained: maximal, maximum, topmost, ultimate, utmost, uttermost. See HIGH, LIMITED. 3. Exceptionally good of its kind: ace, banner, blue-ribbon, brag, capital, champion, excellent, fine1, first-class, first-rate, prime, quality, splendid, superb, superior, terrific, tiptop. Informal: A-one, bully, dandy, great, swell, topflight, topnotch. Slang: boss. Chiefly British: tophole. See GOOD. 4. Preeminent in rank or position: highest, top-drawer. See OVER. 5. Most important, influential, or significant: capital, cardinal, chief, first, foremost, key, leading, main, major, number one, paramount, premier, primary, prime, principal. See IMPORTANT. III verb 1. To put a topping on: cap, crown, top off. See OVER, PUT ON. 2. To be greater or better than: best, better1, exceed, excel, outdo, outmatch, outrun, outshine, outstrip, pass, surpass, transcend. Informal: beat. Idioms: go beyond, go one better. See BIG. 3. To reach or bring to a climax. Also used with off on out: cap, climax, crest, crown, culminate, peak. See EXCITE.