TOPS Synonyms: 121 Similar and Opposite Words

tops 1 of 2

noun

Definition of tops

plural of top

as in lids

a piece placed over an open container to hold in, protect, or conceal its contents make sure the top is on the blender before you turn it on or you'll make a mess

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in pinnacles

the highest part or point a hawk's nest at the very top of the tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tops

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of top

as in exceeds

to be greater, better, or stronger than the next contender's javelin throw topped the reigning champion's and set a new world record

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

loses (to)

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 tops

Noun

Both are curled in chairs in an otherwise empty room in an upscale Hyde Park Corner hotel, modestly dressed in jeans, sneakers and casual tops. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Men’s bag searches grew 166 percent and silk scarf searches climbed 369 percent, which Fashionphile tied to shoppers styling scarves as tops and handbags. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 Bustiers and bra tops, particularly at Chloé, offered a confident, sensual take on femininity, alongside romantic dresses and elevated separates. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026 Note that a 240mm or 360mm radiator/fan will sit just 35mm above the motherboard, and will have to rely on the case’s approximately 58mm of horizontal (leftward) offset to clear the tops of the memory slots of most builds. — Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026 At the Stella McCartney fall-winter 2026 show, models wore wide-leg jeans with sculptural tops and cozy knits. — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2026 Cut a slit into the top of each pastry to vent, then brush the tops with more egg wash. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 Bottle tops popped, can tabs cracked, and cocktail shakers shook all day Thursday at the Aftershock music festival at Sacramento’s Discovery Park. — Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026 But the Huskies, debuting their new red uniform tops, scored 20 unanswered points to tie the game with 12 minutes left in regulation. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026

Verb

Wynn Resorts tops the screen, with analysts expecting the casino operator's shares to climb about 70% to reach their consensus 12-month price target. — Nick Wells, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 Tom Brady passes for 340 yards and a touchdown and runs for another score in his 200th victory as a starting quarterback, tops in NFL history. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Texas tops its list, and Florida, Nevada, Austin, Charlotte, and Houston all make its top 10. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026 Leading the pack is the new volume of World Trigger, Ashihara’s sci-fi action manga, which tops brick-and-mortar sales and e-books. — Billboard Japan, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026 Walker’s 279 yards after contact tops the NFL and would stand 13th in rushing yards alone. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 Harvard University tops the list, singled out in part for alleged tolerance of antisemitism on campus. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026 Even in bankruptcy, Brightline still operates the Orlando and Miami line that tops speeds of 125 mph. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 This fall, with a range of relaxed trousers and tops with a bit of personality. — Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tops

Noun

Two lids of the cold-holding unit are not attached and are damaged.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
The commission recommends people in the Asheville area purchase bear-resistant trash containers, or modify existing trash containers with straps, buckles or metal clasps to lock down the lids.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of lids

Noun

Set the scene The resort sprawls across 10,000 square meters of AlUla’s Ashar Valley, a broad swath of pale desert surrounded by otherworldly rock pinnacles.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Fourteen years earlier, his debut feature, Ossessione, had effectively birthed Italian neorealism, and Visconti had followed it up with La Terra Trema (1948), one of the absolute pinnacles of the movement.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 July 2026

Definition of pinnacles

Verb

Demand already exceeds the available clinical workforce, so time freed from documentation, scheduling, or intake doesn’t have to mean fewer people doing the same work.

— Bill Miller, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
The unit is said to endure 20,000 cycles at a 100% depth of discharge, a number which exceeds the typical lithium-ion warranty by a number of decades.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of exceeds

Noun

That’s why Robeson’s photograph appears on the covers of both the first and second editions of Black in the British Frame.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Besides her own headlining set, karaoke queen Clarkson is sure to be asked to stick around for the festival’s traditional closing night jam of all-1990s covers.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of covers

Noun

Michael Stambaugh looks through a clinometer, an eyepiece that uses triangulation to measure tree heights, vertical angles, and slope steepness.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Fit for a king Mai’s arrival in England coincided with a fad for Pacific cultures that had risen to new heights in 1773, when a blockbuster compilation of accounts of Pacific expeditions, which included Cook’s first voyage, was published.

— Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of heights

Verb

While debates about building AI that surpasses human intelligence, flashy new gadgets and AI spending tend to dominate tech events, tech talks at last week’s Oakland Tech Week often had a different vibe.

— Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Its best parts have a grandeur that surpasses its industrial settings and gets at something eerie and transcendent.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of surpasses

Noun

Almost all Florida seniors will be affected as Medicare Advantage plans pare benefits and raise deductibles, while traditional Medicare sees higher Part D out-of-pocket spending caps and the elimination of $0-premium standalone drug plans.

— Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
That’s up just 4% since 2021, partly because PJM imposed price caps last year.

— John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of caps

Noun

European natural gas futures have not yet reached the record peaks seen during the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, when prices briefly touched 300 euros per megawatt-hour.

— , CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
In Sun Valley, Idaho, guests are privy to an encounter with mountaineer Ed Viesturs, known for climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026