bottom

1 of 3

noun

bot·​tom ˈbä-təm How to pronounce bottom (audio)
1
a
: the underside of something
at the bottom of the box
a cut on the bottom of her foot
The vase is signed on the bottom.
b
: a surface (such as the seat of a chair) designed to support something resting on it
used figuratively in phrases like the bottom dropped out to describe a sudden collapse or downturn
lost millions when the bottom dropped out of the stock market
c
: buttocks, rump
a baby with a rash on his bottom
2
: the surface on which a body of water lies
sank to the bottom of the ocean
3
nautical
a
: the part of a ship's hull lying below the water
b
: boat, ship
cargo … carried by foreign bottomsVirginia A. Oakes
4
a
: the lowest part or place
the bottom of the page
stood at the bottom of the stairs
b
: the remotest or inmost point
sail to the bottom of the bay
c
: the lowest or last place in rank or position
The CEO started at the bottom and worked her way up.
graduated at the bottom of the class
the bottom of the pay scale
d
clothing : the part of a garment worn on the lower part of the body
white tops and navy blue bottoms
a bikini bottom
especially : the pants of pajamas
usually used in plural
e
baseball : the last half of an inning
the bottom of the ninth
f
music : the bass or baritone instruments of a band
5
geography : bottomland
usually used in plural
the Mississippi river bottoms
6
: basis, source
trying to get to the bottom of these rumors
7
: capacity (as of a horse) to endure strain
a breed of dogs outstanding for bottom
8
textiles : a foundation color applied to fibers before dyeing
9
physics : a fundamental quark that accounts for the existence and lifetime of upsilon particles and has an electric charge of −¹/₃ and a measured energy of approximately 5 GeV
also : the flavor (see flavor entry 1 sense 4b) characterizing this particle
bottomed adjective

bottom

2 of 3

verb

bottomed; bottoming; bottoms

transitive verb

1
: to furnish (something, such as a chair) with a bottom
2
: to provide a foundation for
men who wanted to bottom the dreams of the RomanticsBonamy Dobrée
3
: to bring to the bottom
bottomed the submarine on the ocean floor
4
: to find the basis or source of (something, such as a rumor) : to get to the bottom (see bottom entry 1 sense 6) of
The mystery hasn't been bottomed.

intransitive verb

1
: to become based or grounded
find on what foundation any proposition bottomsJohn Locke
2
: to reach the bottom
bottoming on the sea floor
3
: to reach a point where a decline is halted or reversed
usually used with out
The team bottomed out in last place.
bottomer noun

bottom

3 of 3

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or situated at the bottom (see bottom entry 1)
bottom rock
2
: frequenting the lowest part or place : frequenting the bottom
bottom fish
Phrases
at bottom
: really, basically
It is, at bottom, a love song.

Examples of bottom in a Sentence

Noun We sailed to the bottom of the bay. the bottom of the garden The poor baby has a rash all over his little bottom. The company's new CEO started at the bottom and worked her way up. Why do I always find myself rooting for the team at the bottom of the league? at the bottom of the pay scale Adjective the bottom rung of the ladder Somebody's fingerprints are all along the bottom edge of the photograph. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Davis launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth off Guardians right-hander Eli Morgan that tied the score at 5-5. Joe Noga, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023 Despite huge payrolls and championship aspirations at the start of the baseball season, the Mets and Yankees are mired at or near the bottom of their divisions. Christopher Maag, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 There’s an opening in the bottom for a candle (with a real flame or flameless), and its light will shine through the gaps all around the luminary—imagine the glow on a dark October evening. Sarah Wolf Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023 The Cubs survived an adventurous outing in the bottom of the ninth from Michael Fulmer, who recovered from a one-out walk and hit batter to strike out the next two batters to secure the 5-4 victory. Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023 Northwest Arkansas leads that game 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Paul Boyd, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2023 Its water jets agitated the river bottom before pumping the sediment through a floating pipe that snaked downriver – and to shore. USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023 Mere footnotes at the bottom of Brady’s pigskin curriculum vitae. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023 Transfer to pan, spreading evenly, and pack down flat with the bottom of a measuring cup. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2023
Verb
Back in February, Zillow’s housing economists made a bold call that U.S. home prices had bottomed and would proceed to climb 0.5% over the next 12 months. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2023 But many analysts expect the slumping growth rates to bottom by midyear, and even start improving in the back half. Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 11 Apr. 2023 Getty Images Just as national home prices were bottoming in early 2012 following the crash that started in 2007, institutional buyer Invitation Homes (owned by Blackstone at the time) was entering the U.S. housing market and looking for deals at rock-bottom prices. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 27 July 2023 Does that mean that home prices have essentially bottomed? Lance Lambert, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2023 Several firms think national house prices have bottomed, including the AEI Housing Center, CoreLogic, and Zillow. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2023 By the time national prices bottom in 2024, Morningstar expects house prices to be down between 4% to 6% from the peak. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 15 July 2023 Following the global financial crisis of 2008, views about the economy did not truly improve until about 2012 — even though economic growth technically bottomed in the spring of 2009. Rob Wile, NBC News, 14 July 2023 Historically, the market bottoms roughly four months before unemployment hits its highest level in a recession, according to Bank of America analysts. Eric Wallerstein, WSJ, 1 June 2023
Adjective
In the bottom map of the trio above, the green spattered across the central US indicates up to a 30 percent rise in precipitation between the two time frames. WIRED, 20 Sep. 2023 Electrons first fill the bottom floors—the lowest energy locations—until all electrons have a room. Tracy H. Schloemer, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Sep. 2023 Boan and Flynn said the alligator probably ate by scooping smaller animals into the bottom half of its mouth. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2023 Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023 The unit itself is crafted of particleboard and MDF, and the three bottom compartments offer ample storage for audio and video equipment. Rena Behar, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2023 The bottom edge holds a USB-C port for charging and connecting to a computer, two grilles (but only one speaker), and a pinhole microphone. PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023 The cutout detailing at the top chest and very bottom hem are excellent details accompanying the ombre effect. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 18 Sep. 2023 Between the first drips that form when your cone hits the sunlight and the last bite of frozen sweetness lodged into the bottom recesses of the cone is a metaphor for life itself: messy, delicious and gone far too soon. Lucas Kwan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English botme, botom, bothom, going back to Old English botm, *boðm, going back to Germanic *butma- (whence, with varying dental consonants, Old Saxon bođom "ground, bottom," Old High German bodam, Old Norse botn), going back to Indo-European *bhudh-mḗn, *bhudh-mn-ós, whence also Greek pythmḗn "bottom, ground, base," Sanskrit budhná- and (with metathesis of stop and nasal) Latin fundus "bottom, base," Middle Irish bonn "sole of the foot"

Verb

derivative of bottom entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of bottom entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1544, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bottom was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bottom

Cite this Entry

“Bottom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottom. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

bottom

1 of 2 noun
bot·​tom ˈbät-əm How to pronounce bottom (audio)
1
a
: the undersurface of something
b
: a supporting surface or part : base
2
: the surface on which a body of water lies
3
a
: the part of a ship's hull lying below the water
4
: the lowest part, place, or point
the bottom of the page
5
: the part of a garment worn on the lower part of the body
especially : the trousers of pajamas
usually used in plural
6
: lowland along a river
the Mississippi River bottoms
7
: the most basic or central part : heart
get to the bottom of the problem
8
: the last half of an inning of baseball
bottomed adjective

bottom

2 of 2 verb
1
: to provide a foundation for
2
: to rest on, bring to, or reach the bottom

More from Merriam-Webster on bottom

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