top dog

noun

: a person, group, or thing in a position of authority especially through victory in a hard-fought competition

Examples of top dog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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There has not been a moment since the St. Vincent-St. Mary days that LeBron James has not been top dog on his team, including when alongside Dwyane Wade with the Heat. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2025 By the time Harrington dumped that second shot into the sand on the course’s ninth hole, Cink was poised to head into Saturday’s moving day as top dog. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 June 2025 It's assembled 18 autonomous vehicle partners, such as Volkswagen and May Mobility, and hopes to remain the top dog in ridesharing as competitors like Tesla develop their own services with a focus on self-driving cars. Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 24 June 2025 Defense has long been the anchor in Vegas, and that group will look very different without its top dog. The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for top dog

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of top dog was in 1900

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Cite this Entry

“Top dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top%20dog. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.

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