top dog

noun

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Definition of top dog

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

See top dog defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of top dog from the Web

The Cool Kids Three guy friends in a retirement community are the top dogs until they're blown out of the water by the newest member of the community – a female rebel who's ready to challenge their place.

— therese odell, Houston Chronicle, "Fox introduces their new fall shows," 15 May 2018
The Brazil international will have the chance to finish the season strongly in Manchester City colours, with top dog Sergio Aguero currently sidelined following his keyhole knee surgery.

— SI.com, "Man City Star Gabriel Jesus Set to Postpone Contract Talks Until After the World Cup," 1 May 2018
Each is top dog in its neck of the internet: Facebook in social media, Amazon in e-commerce, Netflix in premium video-streaming, Google in search.

— The Economist, "Big tech is growing, but so is investors’ caution," 26 Apr. 2018
One of the most infuriating parts of Survivor is watching people at the bottom of the tribe blindly advance the interests of the top dogs.

— stephen fishbach, PEOPLE.com, "Stephen Fishbach's Survivor Blog: When Two People Tell You Opposite Stories, Who Do You Trust?," 25 Apr. 2018
History was made when an eighth seed took down the top dog for the first time, made memorable by the iconic image of Dikembe Mutombo on the floor clutching a basketball and celebrating.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bucks playoffs: 10 times the seventh or eighth seed won an opening-round playoff series," 13 Apr. 2018
Norway worries about being pushed aside as top dog and about the risk of Britain upsetting the balance of the system.

— The Economist, "Norwegian lessons for Brexit Britain," 24 Feb. 2018
Allen continues to be the top dog after winning another state football title.

— brian gosset, star-telegram, "DFW's top 5 Class 6A football teams to watch in 2018 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 4 Apr. 2018
The Labrador Retriever may still be the most popular breed in America but in and around Miami, the top dog is the German Shepherd.

— johnny diaz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "The most favorite dog breeds in South Florida," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'top dog.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.