topping adj : excellent; best possible [syn: top-flight, top-hole] n : a flavorful addition on top of a dishtop adj

1 situated at the top or highest position; "the top shelf" [syn: top(a)] [ant: bottom(a), side(a)]

2 not to be surpassed; "his top effort" [syn: greatest]

1 the upper part of anything; "the mower cuts off the tops of the grass"; "the title should be written at the top of the first page"

2 the highest or uppermost side of anything; "put your books on top of the desk"; "only the top side of the box was painted" [syn: top side, upper side, upside]

3 the top point of a mountain or hill; "the view from the peak was magnificent"; "they clambered to the summit of Monadnock" [syn: peak, crown, crest, tip, summit]

4 the first half of an inning; while the visiting team is at bat; "a relief pitcher took over in the top of the fifth" [syn: top of the inning] [ant: bottom]

5 the highest level or degree attainable; "his landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty"; "the artist's gifts are at their acme"; "at the height of her career"; "the peak of perfection"; "summer was at its peak"; "...catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle of fame"; "the summit of his ambition"; "so many highest superlatives achieved by man"; "at the top of his profession" [syn: acme, height, elevation, peak, pinnacle, summit, superlative]

6 the greatest possible intensity; "he screamed at the top of his lungs"

7 platform surrounding the head of a lower mast

8 a conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin; "he got a bright red top and string for his birthday" [syn: whirligig, teetotum, spinning top]

9 covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container); "he removed the top of the carton"; "he couldn't get the top off of the bottle"; "put the cover back on the kettle" [syn: cover]

10 a garment (especially for women) that extends from the shoulders to the waist or hips; "he stared as she buttoned her top"

11 a canvas tent to house the audience at a circus performance; "he was afraid of a fire in the circus tent"; "they had the big top up in less than an hour" [syn: circus tent, big top, round top]

1 go beyond; "She exceeded our expectations"; "She topped her performance of last year" [syn: exceed, transcend, overstep, pass, go past]

2 pass by, over, or under without making contact; "the balloon cleared the tree tops" [syn: clear]

3 be at the top of or constitute the top or highest point; "A star tops the Christmas Tree"

4 be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year" [syn: lead]

5 provide with a top; "the towers were topped with conical roofs"

6 reach or ascend the top of; "The hikers topped the mountain just before noon"

7 strike (the top part of a ball in golf, baseball, or pool) giving it a forward spin

8 cut the top off; "top trees and bushes" [syn: pinch]

9 be the culminating event; "The speech crowned the meeting" [syn: crown]

10 finish up or conclude; "They topped off their dinner with a cognac"; "top the evening with champagne" [syn: top off] [also: topping, topped]topping See top

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɒpɪŋ

Verb form

topping

1. present participle of top

Interjection

topping

1. Chiefly British Informal wonderful

Noun

1. (of deserts): Confections added, especially on ice cream, such as sprinkles, hot fudge or whipped cream
2. (of a pizza): Anything other than tomato sauce, mozzarella and oregano or basil added to a pizza base before cooking

Topping may refer to:

• Dan Topping, a former owner of the New York Yankees
• Keith Topping, a British screenwriter
• Norman Topping, a former president of the University of Southern California
• Roseberry Topping, a hill in England
• Topping from the bottom, a BDSM term
• Topping out, the ceremony done at the completion of a building construction
• Topping (agriculture)
• Pizza topping, a food on top of pizza

Others

• hill-topping, a mate-acquisition strategy amongst insects, especially butterflies

Olympian, a cut above, abacus, above, acanthus, aerial, ahead, airy, altitudinous, annulet, architrave, ascendant, ascending, aspiring, astragal, bell, better, capping, capstone, chosen, cima, colossal, console, consummating, coping, corbel, cornice, crown, crowning, culminating, cyma, dentil, distinguished, dominating, drip, drop, eclipsing, elevated, eminent, ethereal, exalted, exceeding, excellent, excelling, finer, finial, first-chop, first-class, first-rate, frieze, frontispiece, frosting, greater, haughty, head, header, heading, headpiece, high, high-pitched, high-reaching, high-set, high-up, higher, icing, in ascendancy, in the ascendant, keystone, lintel, lofty, major, marked, monumental, mounting, of choice, one up on, outstanding, outtopping, over, overlooking, overtopping, prominent, rare, rivaling, sconce, soaring, spiring, steep, sublime, super, superior, superlative, supernal, surpassing, taenia, tip-top, top-drawer, top-hole, top-notch, topflight, topless, toplofty, tops, towering, towery, transcendent, transcendental, transcending, treenail, tympanum, uplifted, upper, upreared