at the top of the pile
idiom
: in a high or very important position
With this promotion, he will be at the top of the pile.
Examples of at the top of the pile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The key for Martínez is putting himself at the top of the pile of Triple-A infielders, including Riley Tirotta, Will Wagner, and Damiano Palmegiani.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman say A Family Affair's original NSFW title kept script 'at the top of the pile'
The death of Kidman's mother comes in the midst of a particularly busy chapter in the actress' career.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024
The first casualty is a gleaming trumpet, propped heroically on its bell at the top of the pile.
—Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024
And right there at the top of the pile: that Daddy Days column about the eclipse.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024
Bleeding edge camera hardware is expensive, and with a foldable phone already requiring significant investment by customers, packing the latest optical hardware into a handset people will be buying in part down to the origami of the handset, there isn’t a pressing need to be at the top of the pile.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
In a wild turn of events, Jack ends up doing the right thing and ranking Tori at the top of the pile.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2024
So those two things are at the top of the pile for me.
—David Moore, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman say A Family Affair's original NSFW title kept script 'at the top of the pile'
The death of Kidman's mother comes in the midst of a particularly busy chapter in the actress' career.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024
The first casualty is a gleaming trumpet, propped heroically on its bell at the top of the pile.
—Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024
And right there at the top of the pile: that Daddy Days column about the eclipse.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024
Bleeding edge camera hardware is expensive, and with a foldable phone already requiring significant investment by customers, packing the latest optical hardware into a handset people will be buying in part down to the origami of the handset, there isn’t a pressing need to be at the top of the pile.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
In a wild turn of events, Jack ends up doing the right thing and ranking Tori at the top of the pile.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2024
So those two things are at the top of the pile for me.
—David Moore, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“At the top of the pile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20top%20of%20the%20pile. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share