topples

verb

present tense third-person singular of topple
as in falls
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily the tower of blocks toppled even though I bumped into it ever so slightly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 topples Spain topples Argentina Rodri of Spain celebrates by lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy with teammates after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 20 July 2026 In 2003 the United States topples Hussein and delivers him to his executioners. — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026 Byron Nelson topples Guyer, evens series Byron Nelson defeated Denton Guyer 2-1 to even the two squads’ Class 6A Division II regional final series at Byron Nelson High School. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026 Weiss took the recent Iranian protests seriously, asking staff during one morning call if the new round of protests could be the wave that topples the regime, leading to skepticism from some journalists in London. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026 Nvidia’s sales of the computing chips powering the artificial intelligence craze surged beyond the lofty bar set by stock market analysts, a performance that may ease recent jitters about a Big Tech boom turning into a bust that topples the world’s most valuable company. — Austin American Statesman, 19 Nov. 2025 Note that if Bieber topples critical and commercial giants with an Album of the Year win for SWAG, Dijon also claims one. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for topples
  1. falls
  2. stumbles
  3. tumbles
  4. slips
  5. trips
Verb
  • Wisconsin only falls one spot after being competitive with Notre Dame for more than a half.
    — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • When the baseline is agreed early, each new agent inherits it, and the cost and risk of every additional deployment falls rather than rising.
    — Krishnaveni Palanivelu, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of falls
Verb
  • Byron Nelson stumbles again Normally an area power, Trophy Club Byron Nelson is off to a rocky start.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Camp’s turn here as a kooky neighbor who stumbles into an unexpected romance is exactly the kind of role that gets a room talking (and laughing).
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Front load washers are built with a horizontal drum that tumbles the clothes in each cycle.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of tumbles
Verb
  • The planet slips quickly from view, setting just 35 minutes after sundown by month's end.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The easy style slips right onto the foot, offers actual support, and dresses up your favorite wardrobe staples.
    — Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of slips
Verb
  • Gillian Jacobs as Jerri Dougan Gerry was the starting quarterback for the Catfish at the beginning of the first season until Danny (Frankie Rodriguez) — the school mascot who helps turn Russ into Chad and keep up his illusion — trips him.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Standard rooms already feel generous by Vegas standards, and suites step up to apartment-like layouts, with separate living areas that make longer stays or work trips more comfortable.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of trips

Browse Nearby Words

toppled
topples
toppling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Topples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/topples. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All