1
a
: wearing no clothing on the upper body
b
: featuring topless waitresses or entertainers
topless bars
c
: being a place where topless women are permitted
a topless beach
2
: being without a top
3
archaic
: so high as to reach up beyond sight
and burnt the topless towers of Ilium—
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher MarloweExamples of topless in a Sentence
She likes to go topless on the beach.
Recent Examples on the Web
One woman was found topless, and her jean shorts had been hiked up unusually high and were torn away, partially revealing her injured and bloodied groin.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Clichés aside, San Francisco really was a center of alternative life styles and permissive sexuality, from the topless night clubs of North Beach to the burgeoning gay scene in the Castro.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Moss was a notable face on Westwood’s runways, memorably eating ice cream while walking topless during the spring 1995 show.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024
The next day, Sandusky allegedly asked her to take a photo of herself in her underwear and then a topless photo, according to the complaint.
—Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024
And that was rammed home to Mahomes after a post from the official NFL Instagram from the Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room following their victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game showed a topless Mahomes speaking to his teammates.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson, who is currently expecting her first child with fiancé Brandon Davis, posed for a magazine cover topless and cradling her baby bump.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 29 Jan. 2024
The poet and the mixed media artist wed with the help of a fiery red reception gown, bridesmaids dressed like Disney princesses, and a topless dance — by the groom.
—Essence, 23 Feb. 2024
Behind them is a mural painted by Lamy’s daughter, a cemetery scene with a Minotaur-like creature and topless women dancing in niqabs.
—Nick Haramis Ola Rindal Dogukan Nesanir, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Clichés aside, San Francisco really was a center of alternative life styles and permissive sexuality, from the topless night clubs of North Beach to the burgeoning gay scene in the Castro.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Moss was a notable face on Westwood’s runways, memorably eating ice cream while walking topless during the spring 1995 show.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024
The next day, Sandusky allegedly asked her to take a photo of herself in her underwear and then a topless photo, according to the complaint.
—Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024
And that was rammed home to Mahomes after a post from the official NFL Instagram from the Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room following their victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game showed a topless Mahomes speaking to his teammates.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson, who is currently expecting her first child with fiancé Brandon Davis, posed for a magazine cover topless and cradling her baby bump.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 29 Jan. 2024
The poet and the mixed media artist wed with the help of a fiery red reception gown, bridesmaids dressed like Disney princesses, and a topless dance — by the groom.
—Essence, 23 Feb. 2024
Behind them is a mural painted by Lamy’s daughter, a cemetery scene with a Minotaur-like creature and topless women dancing in niqabs.
—Nick Haramis Ola Rindal Dogukan Nesanir, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Topless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topless. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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