: 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 The erosion of legacy admission could strengthen the credibility and diversity of top-tier schools, from which many employers recruit. Diane Brady, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Around the corner is a family room, which connects to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with custom cabinetry, granite countertops, dual islands, top-tier stainless appliances, a walk-in pantry and an accompanying breakfast nook. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024 Even without the potential to make money from stock grants, Nvidia’s salaries are already as high or higher than those at Google, Facebook and Apple, the traditional top-tier employers of the last decade, according to data from Glassdoor, which surveys tech workers. Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The only top-tier orchestras that are playing original music by Schoenberg in the 2023-24 season are the San Francisco Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Minnesota Orchestra. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Make no mistakes, a property’s terroir and the grapes that grow there are the stars of any winery; however, several outposts are upping their design chops by hiring top-tier firms to tackle their tasting rooms. Kelsey Mulvey, Sunset Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 There are only 13 rooms; the top-tier offering is the Matinha Suite with beautiful murals and a fireplace. Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 The last top-tier free agent position player is finally off the board. Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Much effort has been made in recent decades to correct the record, and Krasner, along with women like Michael West, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, and Elaine de Kooning, is now widely acknowledged as a top-tier Ab Ex’er. Grace Edquist, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024

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

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of top-tier was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near top-tier

Cite this Entry

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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