Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definition: Tops |
TopsAdjective1. (informal) of the highest quality; "an ace reporter"; "a crack shot"; "a first-rate golfer"; "a super party"; "played top-notch tennis"; "an athlete in tiptop condition"; "she is absolutely tops". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "tops" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Industry | Combed sliver wound in coils or balls. tops are also made directly from continuous filament tow by what are known as tow-to-top processes. Source: European Union. (references) |
Dream Interpretation | To dream of a top, denotes that you will be involved in frivolous difficulties. To see one spinning, foretells that you will waste your means in childish pleasures. To see a top, foretells indiscriminate friendships will involve you in difficulty. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Slang | Adjective. Source: The dictionary word for top. Definition: A homosexual males who only penetrates other males from the top. Context: Used in conversation when explaining sexual preferences between gay males. Social Source: Homosexual Males ages 30 and up. Source: Compiled by The University of Oregon. (additional references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
TOPS | English | Total operations processing system | Business, Information |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: TopsSynonyms: ace (adj), crack (adj), first-rate (adj), super (adj), tiptop (adj), topnotch (adj), tops(p) (adj). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Tops |
| English words defined with "tops": ancient pine ♦ blue jets, Boning ♦ church key, Counterflory ♦ jets ♦ Lava ware ♦ Pinus longaeva, Polacca, Polled, Poppyhead ♦ Rosmarine ♦ Savine, Sparteine, Stonehenge, Swingle ♦ top. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "tops": blue tops. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Nine-thirty, tops. (Look Who's Talking; writing credit: Amy Heckerling) Miss Kubelik, one doesn't get to be a second administrative assistant around here unless he's a pretty good judge of character, and as far as I'm concerned you're tops. I mean, decency-wise and otherwise-wise (The Apartment; writing credit: Billy Wilder ; I.A.L. Diamond) My roommate is from Canada, so we told him that American girls really like it when guys wear mesh tank tops and quote Billy Joel (Saturday Night Live; writing credit: Doug Abeles; Leo Allen) 15 minutes tops. (The Division; writing credit: Guglielmo Enea; Marcello Fois) That tops the lease in your pocket (The Goodbye Girl; writing credit: Neil Simon) | |
Lyrics | As a matter of opinion I think he's tops ("My Guy"; performing artist: Mary Wells) He rocks in the tree tops all day long (Rockin' Robin; performing artist: Michael Jackson) | |
Clever | Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet? (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Tops (1969) Cops Is Tops (1955) Tops in the Big Top (1945) The Duke Is Tops (1938) Roof Tops of Manhattan (1935) | |
Song Titles | Cry Like A Baby (performing artist: The Box Tops) The Letter (performing artist: The Box Tops) Bernadette (performing artist: The Four Tops) I Can't Help Myself (performing artist: The Four Tops) It's The Same Old Song (performing artist: The Four Tops) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
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Books | |||
Periodicals |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
![]() | Sunset with tops of lighted buoys silhouetted during Gulf Stream eddy studies. Credit: Fisheries. | ![]() | Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Double-crested cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus. These birds often take advantage of the tops of pilings for resting places. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |
![]() | TIROS IV lifting off the pad. Launched by 3-stage Thor Delta rocket #317 the satellite was equipped with two television cameras for photographing cloud cover and with infrared sensors to make measurements of the earth's surface, atmosphere, and cloud tops. Credit: NOAA in Space. | ![]() | Infrared imagery of cloud top temperatures over Kansas and Oklahoma. Red indicates coldest temperatures which are associated with highest cloud tops and most intense convection and precipitation. Credit: NOAA in Space. |
![]() | Air Force Tops in Blue. | ![]() | The U.S. Air Force Tops in Blue perform at the NFL Players Huddle Party at MacDill AFB, Fla., Jan. 23, 2001. People and aircraft from various bases around the nation to include a Charleston based C-17 "Globemaster" and the Thunderbird Aerodynami. |
![]() | Stanley Pope tops tobacco plants on a farm in the Danville, Va. area. Credit: USDA. | ![]() | Detail view of tops of upstream arch barrels. Photograph by Jack E. Boucher, Summer 1971. (Reproduction Number: HAER, UTAH,18-SALCI,22-5) The development of the multiple-arch reinforced concrete dam by engineer John S. Eastwood took advantage of the inherent characteristics of an ancient building form to greatly reduce the needed mass of dams. Inclined, reinforced concrete barrel vaults transfer the weight of the impounded water to the ground through a series of buttresses. The downward pressure actually increases the stability of the dam by pressing it against its foundation, making it an ideal design for poor foundation conditions. Eastwood built similar dams throughout the world. Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | Off Amoy, China, on 21 October 1938. Photographed from USS Pillsbury (DD-227). Note: Crew on deck; Flared funnel tops; Kawanishi E17K and Nakajima E8N floatplanes on the aircraft deck. Credit: NAVY. | ![]() | View looking forward from the ship's port bridge wing, 1908. Note the 12"/45 gun turret with grating hatches open; also winch and capstans, with decorated tops on the latter. An old fortification is in the left distance. Photographed by Enrique Muller. Credit: NAVY. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Roof tops 1" by Nadia Arini Yahya Commentary: "Roof tops..." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Author | Quotation |
Matthew Arnold | Bald as the bare mountain tops are bald, with a baldness full of grandeur. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | A brisk north wind was blowing, which swayed the tops of the plane trees |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | The water would rise inch by inch, covering the grass and shrubs, covering the trees and houses, covering the monuments and the mountain tops. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Then over the tops they tied canvas to keep them from slopping the water out. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | The garret windows and tops of houses were so crowded with spectators, that I thought in all my travels I had not seen a more populous place |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Suction cups for plates, special tableware designed for people with disabilities, and plastic cups with tops can help prevent spilling. (references) | |
Sinsemilla (made from just the buds and flowering tops of female plants) has an average of 7.5 percent THC, with a range as high as 24 percent. (references) | ||
Wearing long-sleeved shirts and tucking pants into socks or boot tops may help keep ticks from reaching the skin. Ticks are usually located close to the ground, so wearing high rubber boots may provide additional protection. (references) | ||
Business | Sweden tops the list of donor countries with 40 percent of the total, followed by Finland with 30 percent. (references) | |
Norway tops the cruise statistics in the four Nordic countries, with over half of the 40,000 cruise passengers. (references) | ||
Asymmetric necklines, three-quarter length sleeves, fitted shirts as a jacket; puffed sleeves, drawstring tops as layering pieces, tube tops, funnel necks, and the layering of sheer cotton T-shirts, tunics. (references) | ||
Economic History | Colombia | Specifically they include sweaters and pullovers, swimwear, dresses, suits, ensembles, overcoats, anoraks, silk ties, shirts and blouses, T-shirts, tank tops, trousers, and shorts. (references) |
Haiti | Countrywide, child nutrition rates are dropping from 32% in 1995 to 22% in 2000, and full child immunization rates continue to rise, doubling in USAID-served areas from 30% in 1994 to about 60% in 2000. Contraceptive use, limited to 13% of women in 1994, now tops 25% in USAID project areas (half the country). (references) | |
Thailand | That said, U.S. products are very well received and widely promoted in nearly all types of retail outlets listed herein . For example, supermarkets such as Villa and Tops run frequent US Food promotions . Provincial Thai department stores are lobbying for measures to control the expansion of the hypermarkets which are hugely successful . As a result of stiff competition, the number of "mom and pop" variety stores is declining in Thailand . (references) | |
Trade | Ukraine | Despite these improvements, taxation tops the list of investment barriers in Ukraine. (references) |
Kenya | Japan tops the list of bilateral donors followed by Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. (references) | |
Travel | Uzbekistan | In Tashkent it is acceptable to wear short skirts, tops with bared shoulders, and pants. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | GREAT, adj. "I'm great," the Lion said -- "I reign The monarch of the wood and plain!" The Elephant replied: "I'm great -- No quadruped can match my weight!" "I'm great -- no animal has half So long a neck!" said the Giraffe. "I'm great," the Kangaroo said -- "see My femoral muscularity!" The 'Possum said: "I'm great -- behold, My tail is lithe and bald and cold!" An Oyster fried was understood To say: "I'm great because I'm good!" Each reckons greatness to consist In that in which he heads the list, And Vierick thinks he tops his class Because he is the greatest ass. Arion Spurl Doke |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Tops" is generally used as a noun (plural) -- approximately 95.39% of the time. "Tops" is used about 889 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (plural) | 95.39% | 848 | 8,314 |
| Lexical Verb (-s form) | 4.49% | 40 | 54,274 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.11% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 889 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name | Country | Name |
| United Kingdom | Tops Estates Plc | USA | Tops Appliance City Inc. |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "tops": TOPS-10, TOPS-20, Tops-and-bottoms. | |
Ending with "tops": cliff-tops, hill-tops, mountain-tops, roof-tops, table-tops, tree-tops. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "tops"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i mirë (benign, canny, carriageable, decent, desirable, fine, gentle, good, good tempered, goodly, handsome, keen, kind, kindhearted, kindly, lovely, nice, pleasant, pukka, salable, virtuous). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | най-способен, най-качествен (extra special), най-известен, най-добър (best, only, optimum, picked, topflight). (various references) | |
Chinese | 顶面 (top). (various references) | |
Danish | tops. (various references) | |
Dutch | tops, kamband (sliver). (various references) | |
Finnish | naatit. (various references) | |
French | tops, ruban de préparation, les dessus (top coal), Extrémités, bancs au toit (top coal), banc supérieur (top bench, top coal, top layer). (various references) | |
German | Tops, Spitzen (cuspids, keep a look-out, peaks, peek, pinnacles, point, points, prick up, pucker, purse, sharpen, spires), Spinnband (sliver), Oberteile, Oberbank (top bench, top coal, top layer), kraut (cabbage, foliage, grass, herb, herbage, plant, sauerkraut, tobacco), Kammzug. (various references) | |
Greek | tops, έξοχοσ (Dandy, eminent, excellent, fine, high, peachy, splendid, splendiferous, sterling, super, swell, worthy), υπερκείμενα στρώματα (roof beds, roof strata, top coal), άριστοσ (best, optimal, topnotch), ταινίες προπαρασκευής. (various references) | |
Hungarian | elsőrendű szakember (he tops at his trade). (various references) | |
Italian | tops, nastro di preparazione (sliver). (various references) | |
Korean | 정상 (Normal, top). (various references) | |
Manx | bir (roasting spits). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | opstay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | suculento (fleshy, juicy, luscious, lush, pappy, pulpy, sappy, succulent, tender), que tem sumo, fita de preparação (sliver), com substância (juicy), com interesse, úmido (clammy, damp, dewy, dripping, humid, juicy, madid, moist, soft, squashy, watery, weeping, wet), "tops". (various references) | |
Russian | прекрасный (beauteous, beautiful, fine, gallant, glorious, jim-dandy, nailing, noble, prize). (various references) | |
Scottish | barbrag (tangle tops). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | prvoklasan (brag, champion, excellent, first chop, first class, first rate, luxe: de luxe, prime, tip top, top flight, top notch, topgallant). (various references) | |
Spanish | tops, cinta de preparación (sliver). (various references) | |
Swedish | överst (at the top, atop, topmost, uppermost). (various references) | |
Turkish | en iyi (best, champion, of the first water, tiptop, top, top drawer, topflight, top-hole, topnotch), birinci sınıf (banner class, best, classic, commanding, first chop, first class, first rate, hunky-dory, in style, jammy, of the first water, pucka, pukka, slap up, super, tiptop, top drawer, topflight, topping, wire-wove). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Genesis Chapter 8, Verse 5 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | To de udwr poreuomenon hlattonouto ewV tou dekatou mhnoV en de tw endekatw mhni th prwth tou mhnoV wfqhsan ai kefalai twn orewn |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | At vero aquae ibant et decrescebant usque ad decimum mensem decimo enim mense prima die mensis apparuerunt cacumina montium |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | Ond ða wæteru toeodan ond wanodon of ðone teoðanmonð, on on ðam teoðan monðe æteowedon ðæra munta cnollas. |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And forsothe the watres yeden and decreesseden vnto the tenthe moneth, the tenthe forsothe moneth, the firste day of the moneth, aperyden the coppis of the hillis. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | And the waters went away ad decreased vntyll the x. moneth. And the fyrst daye of the tenth moneth the toppes of the mounteyns appered. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And the waters decreased continually, till the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And still the waters went on falling, till on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Genesis Chapter 8, Verse 5 |
| Cebuano | Ug ang mga tubig nagpadayon sa paghubas hangtud sa ikapulo nga bulan: Sa ikapulo nga bulan, sa nahauna nga adlaw sa bulan, nakita na ang mga tumoy sa mga bukid. |
| Chinese | 水 又 漸 消 、 到 十 月 初 一 日 、 山 頂 都 現 出 來 了 。 |
| Croatian | Vode su neprestano opadale do desetog mjeseca, a prvoga dana desetog mjeseca pokažu se brdski vrhunci. |
| Danish | og Vandet vedblev at synke indtil den tiende Måned, og på den første Dag i denne Måned dukkede Bjergenes Toppe frem. |
| Dutch | En de wateren waren gaande, en afnemende tot de tiende maand; in de tiende maand, op den eersten der maand, werden de toppen der bergen gezien. |
| Finnish | Ja vesi väheni vähenemistään aina kymmenenteen kuukauteen asti. Kymmenentenä kuukautena, kuukauden ensimmäisenä päivänä, tulivat vuorten huiput näkyviin. |
| French | Les eaux allèrent en diminuant jusqu`au dixième mois. Le dixième mois, le premier jour du mois, apparurent les sommets des montagnes. |
| German | Es nahm aber das Gewässer immer mehr ab bis auf den zehnten Monat. Am ersten Tage des zehnten Monats sahen der Berge Spitzen hervor. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Air terus surut dan pada tanggal satu bulan sepuluh, puncak-puncak gunung mulai tampak. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka air itupun makinlah lebih surut, sehingga pada bulan yang kesepuluh; dan pada bulan yang kesepuluh sehari bulan itu kelihatanlah segala puncak gunung. |
| Italian | Le acque andarono via via diminuendo fino al decimo mese. Nel decimo mese, il primo giorno del mese, apparvero le cime dei monti. |
| Maori | Me te heke haere tonu o nga wai, a taea noatia te tekau o nga marama: no te tekau o nga marama, no te ra tuatahi o te marama, ka kitea nga tihi o nga maunga. |
| Norwegian | Og vannet tok mere og mere av inntil den tiende måned; i den tiende måned, på den første dag i måneden, kom fjelltoppene til syne. |
| Portuguese | E as águas foram minguando até o décimo mês; no décimo mês, no primeiro dia do mês, apareceram os cumes dos montes. |
| Rumanian | Apele au mers scqzknd pknq kn luna a zecea. Kn luna a zecea, kn ziua kntki a lunii, s`au vqzut vkrfurile munyilor. |
| Russian | чПДБ РПУФПСООП ХВЩЧБМБ ДП ДЕУСФПЗП НЕУСГБ; Ч РЕТЧЩК ДЕОШ ДЕУСФПЗП НЕУСГБ РПЛБЪБМЙУШ ЧЕТИЙ ЗПТ. |
| Spanish | y las aguas siguieron decreciendo hasta el mes décimo. El primer día del mes décimo se hicieron visibles las cumbres de las montañas. |
| Swedish | Och vattnet avtog mer och mer intill tionde månaden. I tionde månaden, på första dagen i månaden, blevo bergstopparna synliga. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "tops": topsail, topsails, topside, topsider, topsiders, topsides, topsoil, topsoiled, topsoiling, topsoils, topspin, topspins, topstitch, topstitched, topstitches, topstitching, topstone, topstones. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "tops": anviltops, backstops, blacktops, carrottops, cooktops, countertops, desktops, doorstops, estops, flattops, foretops, hardtops, helistops, hilltops, housetops, laptops, maintops, misstops, mountaintops, netops, overtops, ragtops, redtops, ripstops, rooftops, shortstops, stops, tabletops, tiptops, treetops, triceratops, unstops. (additional references) | |
Words containing "tops": autopsic, autopsied, autopsies, autopsy, autopsying, ceratopsian, ceratopsians, triceratopses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Tops" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: atops, tapz, tepz, tipss, tipz, tobs, tocs, tods, tois, tojs, toks, toop, toops, topa, topas, topf, topis, topl, topo, topos, Toposa, toppy, Topr, Topsey, Topsi, topsy, topt, topz, tors, tosa, toso, tous, trops, trosp, tupes, tups. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "tops" (pronounced tÄ"ps) |
| 4 | t Ä" p s | stops. |
| 3 | -Ä" p s | chops, cops, crops, drops, flops, hops, Kops, mops, ops, pops, props, shoppes, shops, sops, swaps, wops. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: opts, post, pots, spot, stop. | |
| Words within the letters "o-p-s-t" | |
-1 letter: ops, opt, pot, sop, sot, top. | |
-2 letters: op, os, so, to. | |
| Words containing the letters "o-p-s-t" | |
+1 letter: estop, pesto, phots, plots, poets, ports, posit, posts, potsy, pouts, prost, sport, spots, spout, stomp, stoop, stope, stops, stopt, stoup, stowp, strop, topes, tophs, topis, topos, typos. | |
+2 letters: adopts, coapts, compts, coopts, depots, despot, estops, impost, netops, optics, pantos, pastor, pathos, patios, patois, pestos, photos, picots, pilots, pinots, pintos, pistol, piston, pitons, pivots, points, pontes, posits, posset, postal, posted, poster, postin, potash, potsie, pottos, poults, presto, prosit, ptoses, ptosis, puntos, putons, repots, respot, ripost, sapota, sapote, sexpot, sopite, spigot, spinto, spoilt, sports, sporty, spotty, spouts, sprout, stomps, stoops, stoped, stoper, stopes, stoups, stowps, strops, stupor, tempos, tepoys, thorps, topees, topers, tophes, tophus, topics, tossup, tripos, tromps, troops, tropes, unstop, upmost, upshot, uptoss. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Familiar 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Names: Company Usage 14. Expressions 15. Translations: Modern 16. Bible Trace | 17. Abbreviations 18. Acronyms 19. Derivations 20. Rhymes | 21. Anagrams 22. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.