top dog

noun

Definition of top dognext
as in ruler

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of top dog Will Nvidia reclaim its number one position in the coming days, or will Apple still be the top dog? — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 July 2026 Less than a year after trading away Micah Parsons, the room is still in search of its top dog, but a lot of new capable faces lead the way in 2026. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026 Here, the iconic Sandy Lane has long been the island's top dog, pulling in an exclusive clientele. — Jonnie Bayfield, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026 Being top dog on the local council, however, is not the same as world domination. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for top dog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for top dog
  1. ruler
  2. dominator
  3. placer
  4. overdog
Noun
  • Others have to do with the nature and trustworthiness of the regime in Riyadh, especially the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The engineers who maintain an autocrat’s surveillance apparatus, for example, can shape what the ruler sees.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruler
Noun
  • Chips are being rationed; companies like Micron, the data-center dominator, and Applied Materials, which makes equipment for Micron, are, for the first time ever, getting long-term contracts for their wares.
    — Jim Cramer, Contributor, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • When Chrome launched in 2008, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the industry dominator, with roughly 60% of global browser usage thanks to being the default on Windows computers.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Definition of dominator
Noun
  • Most of the early mining there consisted of placer mining — extracting minerals from sand and gravel in river beds — and mining declined during the Civil War.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026
  • Its breakout star is Parker Schnabel, a thirty-one-year-old who runs a placer mine in the Yukon that brought in fifty-one million dollars last year.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of placer
Noun
  • But perhaps the biggest antidote to The Studio’s overdog problem is that its fat-cat Apple TV+ profile can easily be spun as good for everybody.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
  • This team has cast off its familiar underdog mantle and embraced being the overdog.
    — Jeré Longman, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2023
Definition of overdog

Browse Nearby Words

topcoats
top dog
top dogs
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Cite this Entry

“Top dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/top%20dog. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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