tabletop

1 of 2

noun

ta·​ble·​top ˈtā-bəl-ˌtäp How to pronounce tabletop (audio)
variants or less commonly table top or table-top
plural tabletops also table tops or table-tops
1
: the top or surface of a table
a wooden tabletop
… slaps his palm on the table-top … to emphasize a point …Seamus Heffernan
2
: a photograph of small objects or a miniature scene arranged on a table
Photographing scenes or objects or people as or where we find them is great fun, but if you have never tried tabletops you have missed one real creative branch of photography.Robert A. Bohlen
Both have won several awards for their [photographic] work, exhibited locally and internationally. He specializes in portraits, she prefers "table tops" or still-life arrangements.Charlie Fidelman
also : photography involving such photographs
Everyone's goal seemed to be soft, shadowless lighting. I didn't like it, although for a time—like everyone in tabletop—I subscribed to it. Bruce Wolf, quoted in Photo District News

tabletop

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly table-top or table top
1
: designed or suitable for use or display on a tabletop or similar surface
This symmetrical conifer is a standard tabletop Christmas tree.Jim McCausland
… offers full-sized propane heaters and smaller table-top models …Brent Hallenbeck
Tabletop games, which can be played at bars, game shops and cafes … incorporate many types of play …Sam Sanders
2
: of, relating to, or involving games (such as board games or card games) that are designed to be played at or on a table
Three years ago, a team of tabletop industry experts gathered to create the American alternative to … Germany's prestigious board game awards.Charlie Hall
… a giant board game release party, where publishers unleash their newest games to the most committed and enthusiastic tabletop gamers.Aaron Zimmerman
There are several benefits to tabletop gaming: it provides positive social interaction, … it's democratic and (for the most part) appropriate for all ages, and there is a game for practically every type of concept or genre.M. Brandon Robbins
3
photography : of or relating to tabletops (see tabletop entry 1 sense 2)
Glassware photography is a subset of table top photography but it is the trickiest of the lot.Smart Photography
: being a tabletop
Your first step in making a tabletop photo is to choose a toy that is realistic in appearance and suitable in size. Then plan your story idea carefully before building your setup.Lloyd Van Horsen

Examples of tabletop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The tabletop lifts to reveal a sizable storage drawer that will fit building blocks, Play-Doh, Kinetic Sand, or art supplies. Samantha McIntyre, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024 Dire Wolf was approached the same day the license was announced at the Gen Con tabletop gaming event in 2018. John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The tempered glass tabletops are easy to clean with glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth. Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2024 The Duboce Triangle Table from Dot & Bo is also a conversation piece, with its sculptured solid birch legs and thick glass tabletop. Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024 Piles of bright cloth line tabletops and shelves from floor to ceiling. Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Jan. 2024 Similar plantings and color stories are then extended out from the border plants—a perfect example of how the use of containers to continue landscaping into smaller areas such as patios, tabletops, and corners is the perfect solution when in-ground plantings are not possible. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 Shiny new tabletops, sheer orange curtains and blue upholstery brighten the once-dark interior, and palm leaves, bigger than life-size, wave from the left wall. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Material Learn More Material, founded by members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, is the kitchenware brand designing essentials for today’s home cooks, taking them from prep to tabletop with ease. wsj.com, 1 Dec. 2023
Adjective
Choose the tabletop option to mark your place in this week’s reading material or go grand with a floor-size version. Marni Elyse Katz, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2024 Dungeons & Dragons has been a tabletop classic for five decades. Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 The threat posed by health misinformation was a focus of Event 201, a tabletop pandemic training exercise conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 The ivory color won't detract from your tabletop presentation or your savory spread, too. Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 Outcomes of tabletop exercises produce opportunities to rehearse actions in a live environment outside of an event day. Bill Edwards, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 The tabletop jukebox used in the scene is unfortunately not included. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 But Dire Wolf didn’t release its first tabletop game (the cult hit Clank!) until 2016, about six years after the company was founded. John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 29 Feb. 2024 Rather than having all of the clothes hung on racks, they are spread out in blue, tabletop bins. Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tabletop.' 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

Noun

1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tabletop was in 1738

Dictionary Entries Near tabletop

Cite this Entry

“Tabletop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tabletop. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tabletop

noun
ta·​ble·​top ˈtā-bəl-ˌtäp How to pronounce tabletop (audio)
: the top of a table
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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