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 Key West is a top dog destination with a long list of dog-friendly restaurants and bars, and upscale hotel stays like The Perry Hotel and eco-chic The Gates Hotel. Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Powering the phone it the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the top dog chip in the Android space right now. Ben Sin, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 But with the influx of the northern snakehead, pickerel, and bass, are no longer the top dogs in most of these waters. Anthony Maluso, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2024 Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, the sequel to the 2021 flick based on the popular TV series, is top dog at this weekend's box office. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 1 Oct. 2023 At the annual Oscar nominees luncheon, there is always a top dog that even a ballroom full of A-listers will clamor to meet. Kyle Buchanan Roger Kisby, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 But the unsuspecting battle between Harford County’s former most fearsome program visiting this year’s undefeated top dog won’t be lost either. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2024 Soon, all those old naysayers saw my rise to the top dog. Michael Schneider, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023 But this Cantabria Bradenton purchase is a reminder that the U.S. housing market has the attention of Wall Street’s top dog: JPMorgan Chase. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 13 May 2023

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

1900, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near top dog

Cite this Entry

“Top dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top%20dog. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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