top-tier

adjective

ˈtäp-ˈtir 

: of the highest level or rank with regard to quality, reputation, or importance

Top-tier wines are the result of artisanal production techniques that demand rigorous attention to detail and, on occasion, financial sacrifice.

—Daniel Sogg

In general, the top-tier schools measure their success by the salaries that their graduates earn …

—Peter Baida

… leave fellow Republicans open to attack on what's shaping up as a top-tier issue in the 2008 elections.

—Mark Hertsgaard

Yes, this Kansas team is loaded with top-tier talent …

—Joe Posnanski

Kemp's first objective, his handlers said, was to establish himself as a top-tier contender.

—Lucy Howard

Examples of top-tier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wrangler's top-tier collaboration with imogene + willie is still going strong and about to wrap up, and sales at Macy's, Old Navy, Cole Haan, and more offer the chance to save on cold-weather staples now, before the first freeze sets in. — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026

Their bet is that an Indian team can deliver the detailed worlds, layered gameplay and cinematic scale that core players expect from top-tier releases. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

To ensure top-tier data protection, the whole system is developed and operated under ISO 27001 standards, as per the release. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

The software maker holds a top-tier AAA rating with S&P, a credit agency. — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above