topless

adjective

top·​less ˈtäp-ləs How to pronounce topless (audio)
1
a
: wearing no clothing on the upper body
b
: featuring topless waitresses or entertainers
topless bars
c
: being a place where topless women are permitted
a topless beach
2
: being without a top
3
archaic : so high as to reach up beyond sight
and burnt the topless towers of IliumChristopher Marlowe
toplessness noun

Examples of topless in a Sentence

She likes to go topless on the beach.
Recent Examples on the Web Some Key West hotels allow topless sunbathing on their private property. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024 Roebuck's Norman was first seen in a season 2 episode when his wife, Lola (Romy Rosemont), stood topless above a freeway sign to get the attention of her distant husband. Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024 One woman was found topless, and her jean shorts had been hiked up unusually high and were torn away, partially revealing her injured and bloodied groin. Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 Clichés aside, San Francisco really was a center of alternative life styles and permissive sexuality, from the topless night clubs of North Beach to the burgeoning gay scene in the Castro. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Moss was a notable face on Westwood’s runways, memorably eating ice cream while walking topless during the spring 1995 show. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024 The next day, Sandusky allegedly asked her to take a photo of herself in her underwear and then a topless photo, according to the complaint. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 And that was rammed home to Mahomes after a post from the official NFL Instagram from the Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room following their victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game showed a topless Mahomes speaking to his teammates. Ben Morse, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024 Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson, who is currently expecting her first child with fiancé Brandon Davis, posed for a magazine cover topless and cradling her baby bump. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of topless was in 1589

Dictionary Entries Near topless

Cite this Entry

“Topless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topless. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on topless

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