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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 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 McKenna was the top dog in the 2026 draft class for several years, and his one solid season at Penn State just solidified that. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for top dog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for top dog
  1. ruler
  2. dominator
  3. placer
  4. overdog
Noun
  • The Pisces Moon in your finance zone squares your ruler Uranus in your playful 5th house, making spontaneous plans, tickets, hobbies, or treats harder to resist.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The song follows two other rulers from the Better Late Than Never era, released in November 2025.
    — Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 23 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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