topple

verb

top·​ple ˈtä-pəl 

toppled; toppling ˈtä-p(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1

: to cause to topple

2

a

: overthrow sense 2

topple a dictator

b

: defeat sense 1

Synonyms of topple

• fall
• stumble
• trip
• slip
• tumble

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

Gable finds himself as the biggest favorite of Night 2 with -1500 odds per BetOnline, while Lesnar is the biggest underdog of either night with +900 odds to topple Oba Femi (-3000) in their rubber match inside Hell in a Cell. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Voice of America’s Persian Service began airing in its current form in 1979, shortly after the Iranian Revolution toppled the Shah and installed the Islamist clerics who rule the country to this day. — Marc Fisher, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

But Tuesday’s shaking, which toppled shelves and hurled computers to the floor, was worse in Yatsushiro than anything Matsushita experienced a decade ago. — USA Today, 30 July 2026

Romanch Mahajan, 18, was thrown from a carriage on June 17 after Samson, the horse pulling the carriage, bolted, collided with another carriage, and toppled over. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 30 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

frequentative of top entry 3

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for topple

• estoppel
• popple

Kids Definition

topple

verb

top·​ple ˈtäp-əl 

toppled; toppling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to fall over from being too heavy at the top

2

: to push over