top-shelf
adjective
1
: of the best quality
top-shelf products
Reading does have one top-shelf tourist attraction, a gorgeous pagoda that sits atop a mountain.—
Joe Queenan
Joe Queenan2
[from the placement of sexually explicit magazines for sale on high shelves out of the reach of children] British
: containing pornographic material
top-shelf magazines
This year, retailers are going to come under increased pressure to clean up their acts. Of course, they're not obliged to sell top-shelf mags.—The Grocer
The GrocerExamples of top-shelf in a Sentence
hoping to impress the new neighbors, she brought a top-shelf wine as a housewarming gift
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s the tax, though, Netflix must pay to collaborate with a top-shelf director like Gerwig.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025
Executive produced by Smith and Zschech, and produced by Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle, Cory Asbury) and John Hartley (Twila Paris, Leigh Nash), the album also features a top-shelf lineup of musicians, including Smith on piano, Mabury on drums, Dwan Hill on keyboard, and Stu Garrard on guitar.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
Keeping up its streak of attracting top-shelf talent, the Saint Louis Fashion Fund has lined up Carolina Herrera’s creative director Wes Gordon for its annual speaker series.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2025
With Formula 1 rights likely earmarked for Apple and Major League Baseball waiting until 2028 to reorganize its major media packages, there won't be many top-shelf sports assets coming to market for Paramount to acquire.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-shelf
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Brian Welk, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025
Executive produced by Smith and Zschech, and produced by Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle, Cory Asbury) and John Hartley (Twila Paris, Leigh Nash), the album also features a top-shelf lineup of musicians, including Smith on piano, Mabury on drums, Dwan Hill on keyboard, and Stu Garrard on guitar.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
Keeping up its streak of attracting top-shelf talent, the Saint Louis Fashion Fund has lined up Carolina Herrera’s creative director Wes Gordon for its annual speaker series.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2025
With Formula 1 rights likely earmarked for Apple and Major League Baseball waiting until 2028 to reorganize its major media packages, there won't be many top-shelf sports assets coming to market for Paramount to acquire.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-shelf
Cite this Entry
“Top-shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top-shelf. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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