topple

verb

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top·ple | \ ˈtä-pəl

toppled; toppling\ ˈtä-p(ə-)liŋ

Definition of topple

intransitive verb

: to fall from or as if from being top-heavy

transitive verb

1 : to cause to topple

2a : overthrow sense 2 topple a dictator

b : defeat sense 1

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about topple

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Synonyms & Antonyms for topple

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples of topple in a Sentence

The strong winds toppled many trees. The earthquake toppled the buildings. The tree toppled into the river. The rebels tried to topple the dictator. The phone company has toppled its local competition.

Recent Examples on the Web Republicans will need to win about five seats next year to topple the current Democratic majority. — David Mark, Washington Examiner, "Texas and Florida to get new House seats, boosting GOP 2022 chances for majority," 26 Apr. 2021 Beyond the terrorism threat to the U.S. or others, there are strong concerns the Taliban is waiting for an American exit to topple the Afghan government. — Conor Finnegan, ABC News, "Blinken defends Biden's refugee cap, Afghanistan withdrawal in exclusive interview," 18 Apr. 2021 Taliban forces are almost certain to launch a military offensive to try to topple the government in Kabul. — Los Angeles Times, "Afghanistan’s war — and America’s stakes in it — won’t end when the troops leave," 18 Apr. 2021 That’s when imbalances and toxic tendencies will become evident, causing what seemed to be a healthy team to topple. — Jeanet Wade, Forbes, "If Your Team Dynamic Is Really Healthy Why Aren’t You Getting Healthy Results?," 8 Apr. 2021 Looking to topple Virginia will be Ohio, a potential upset pick that has its own Wisconsin connection. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Your guide to Wisconsinites in the NCAA basketball tournament," 19 Mar. 2021 Headlines cry that the U.S. Capitol was under siege, attacked, assaulted, with mobs storming the gates, anarchy abroad in the U.S.A., as insurrectionists tried to topple the U.S. government. — Ahmed Tharwat, Star Tribune, "America thought coups were only an export product," 11 Jan. 2021 After 9/11, the United States then had to invade Afghanistan to topple the Taliban and remove al Qaeda from the country. — Peter Bergen, CNN, "Biden's magical thinking on Afghanistan," 14 Apr. 2021 The plan was a blatant violation of congressional amendments prohibiting U.S. funding to topple the leftist regime in Nicaragua. — Washington Post, "Brett Sciaroni, American power broker in Cambodia, dies at 69," 19 Mar. 2021

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