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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The wide elastic bottom band and wider straps wore flat underneath clothing. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024 Many drown, uncountable bodies at the bottom of the sea. Carina Del Valle Schorske, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Afghanistan is, again, at the bottom of the ranking. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 The Russian air force has been largely absent in Ukraine, and much of Moscow’s navy is now at the bottom of the Black Sea thanks to Kyiv’s blows, Mr. Witney adds. Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2024 Like the Renaissance album artwork, the background is completely black — save for the slightly illuminated dirt road at the bottom of the frame. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 Utah, California, Nevada and Florida join Arizona at the bottom of the list. USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 The coordinating mid-rise bottom offers full coverage. Mia Huelsbeck, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 The blue dresses, which also come in green and pink styles, have a baby blue top with ruffled sleeves and a white bottom skirt that features blue flowers and plant stems. Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2024
Verb
After bottoming at $3.07 a gallon in mid-January, the national average climbed to $3.40 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Temperatures are likely to rapidly fall through the 50s into the 40s during the evening, perhaps dropping about 25 degrees or more in a couple of hours, before bottoming in the upper 30s and low 40s overnight. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 Why gas prices rise as winter ends Gas prices bottomed at $3.07 a gallon nationally on January 15. Matt Egan, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024 This positive development is supported by the weekly cycle which bottoms this week. Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, housing economists at AEI Housing Center, Zillow, and CoreLogic believe U.S. home prices have bottomed. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2023 Low temperatures probably bottom in the teens for the entire region, with wind chills easily in the single digits. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024 In Southern California, home prices bottomed in February. Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 With the Los Angeles Chargers losing, again, and their star quarterback ailing, is this the spot in their dismal season in which rock is introduced to bottom? Jay Paris, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
Adjective
The car will have damage to its right front bumper and right headlight and will be missing parts to the bottom engine cover, police said. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024 Eryn was able to transform the bottom bins to have fun toys that are safe for both of them and allows Gunner to be able to share. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 As part of the extensive remodel, crews elevated the bridge’s bottom deck by 4 feet, raising it out of any potential flooding zone. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The Details Sizes: XS-XL Material: Outer: 75% nylon, 25% spandex; top lining: 100% polyester; inner lining: 70% polyester, 30% cotton; bottom lining: 100% polyester Care instructions: Machine wash cold, gentle cycle. Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 Finland remained in the top spot – with an average score of 7.7 – followed closely by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, while Afghanistan and Lebanon held the bottom two spots, with scores of 1.7 and 2.7 respectively. David Milliken, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2024 Dip the bottom portion of larger candles into the colored wax, remove, shaking off any excess wax, and let dry on a piece of wax paper. Kit Selzer, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2024 To apply it the TikTok-viral, ombre way, apply the lipstick to the bottom lip, then to the top one. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 The sites being considered, which are in essential fish habitat conservation areas, are already protected from bottom trawling, which involves dragging a fishing net along the bottom of the ocean. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024

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 Mar. 2024.

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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