topple

verb

top·​ple ˈtä-pəl How to pronounce topple (audio)
toppled; toppling ˈtä-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce topple (audio)

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

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 The same day, at a Nordstrom, dozens of people dressed in dark clothes ransacked the designer-handbag department, toppling mannequins. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 And this time, the SoCal team did not need a shot at the buzzer to topple Mitty. Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 The conventional wisdom about the Six-Day War in 1967 holds that Israel swiftly crushed the wave of Arab nationalism that was sweeping the Middle East and toppling monarchs. Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024 All are now fair game for toppling in the eyes of gun rights and other weapons enthusiasts, who view any restriction as an infringement on their right to bear arms. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Officials at Intuitive Machines believe that the craft landed too fast and may have caught one of its six landing pads in the lunar surface, forcing it to topple. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Bezos, Musk, and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault have repeatedly toppled one other as the world’s richest person since 2017. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Yosemite National Park partly reopened on Sunday after a blizzard that brought as much as 45 inches of snow in some areas and high winds that toppled trees. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 One such statue, which depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, is on display at a local history museum dented and covered in graffiti, the same condition as when it was toppled. Roberto Roldan, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

frequentative of top entry 3

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of topple was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near topple

Cite this Entry

“Topple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topple. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

topple

verb
top·​ple ˈtäp-əl How to pronounce topple (audio)
toppled; toppling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce topple (audio)
1
: to fall over from being too heavy at the top
2
: to push over

More from Merriam-Webster on topple

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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