1. [n]  a canvas tent to house the audience at a circus performance; "he was afraid of a fire in the circus tent"; "they had the big top up in less than an hour"
2. [n]  a garment (especially for women) that extends from the shoulders to the waist or hips; "he stared as she buttoned her top"
3. [n]  covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container); "he removed the top of the carton"; "he couldn't get the top off of the bottle"; "put the cover back on the kettle"
4. [n]  a conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin; "he got a bright red top and string for his birthday"
5. [n]  platform surrounding the head of a lower mast
6. [n]  the greatest possible intensity; "he screamed at the top of his lungs"
7. [n]  the top point of a mountain or hill; "the view from the peak was magnificent"; "they clambered to the summit of Monadnock"
8. [n]  the highest or uppermost side of anything; "put your books on top of the desk"; "only the top side of the box was painted"
9. [n]  the upper part of anything; "the mower cuts off the tops of the grass"; "the title should be written at the top of the first page"
10. [n]  the highest level or degree attainable; "his landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty"; "the artist's gifts are at their acme"; "at the height of her career"; "the peak of perfection"; "summer was at its peak"; "...catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle of fame"; "the summit of his ambition"; "so many highest superlatives achieved by man"; "at the top of his profession"
11. [n]  the first half of an inning; while the visiting team is at bat; "a relief pitcher took over in the top of the fifth"
12. [adj]  not to be surpassed; "his top effort"
13. [v]  be the culminating event; "The speech crowned the meeting"
14. [v]  cut the top off; "top trees and bushes"
15. [v]  strike (the top part of a ball in golf, baseball, or pool) giving it a forward spin
16. [v]  pass by, over, or under without making contact; "the balloon cleared the tree tops"
17. [v]  provide with a top; "the towers were topped with conical roofs"
18. [v]  go beyond; "She exceeded out expectations"; "She topped her performance of last year"
19. [v]  be at the top of or constitute the top or highest point; "A star tops the Christmas Tree"

1. \Top\, n. (Golf)
   (a) A stroke on the top of the ball.
   (b) A forward spin given to the ball by hitting it on or near
       the top.
   {From top to toe}, from head to foot; altogether.
   

2. \Top\, v. t.
   1. (Dyeing) To cover with another dye; as, to top aniline
      black with methyl violet to prevent greening and crocking.
   2. To put a stiffening piece or back on (a saw blade).
   3. To arrange, as fruit, with the best on top. [Cant]
   4. To strike the top of, as a wall, with the hind feet, in
      jumping, so as to gain new impetus; -- said of a horse.
   5. To improve (domestic animals, esp. sheep) by crossing
      certain individuals or breeds with other superior.
   6. (Naut.) To raise one end of, as a yard, so that that end
      becomes higher than the other.
   7. To cut, break, or otherwise take off the top of (a steel
      ingot) to remove unsound metal.
   8. (Golf) To strike (the ball) above the center; also, to
      make (as a stroke) by hitting the ball in this way.
   

3. \Top\, v. i.
   1. (Golf) To strike a ball above the center.
   2. (Naut.) To rise at one end, as a yard; -- usually with up.
   

4. \Top\, n. [CF. OD. dop, top, OHG., MNG., & dial. G. topf;
   perhaps akin to G. topf a pot.]
   1. A child's toy, commonly in the form of a conoid or pear,
      made to spin on its point, usually by drawing off a string
      wound round its surface or stem, the motion being
      sometimes continued by means of a whip.
   2. (Rope Making) A plug, or conical block of wood, with
      longitudital grooves on its surface, in which the strands
      of the rope slide in the process of twisting.
   

5. \Top\, n. [AS. top; akin to OFries. top a tuft, D. top top,
   OHG. zopf end, tip, tuft of hair, G. zopf tuft of hair,
   pigtail, top of a tree, Icel. toppr a tuft of hair, crest,
   top, Dan. top, Sw. topp pinnacle, top; of uncertain origin.
   Cf. {Tuft}.]
   1. The highest part of anything; the upper end, edge, or
      extremity; the upper side or surface; summit; apex;
      vertex; cover; lid; as, the top of a spire; the top of a
      house; the top of a mountain; the top of the ground.
            The star that bids the shepherd fold, Now the top of
            heaven doth hold.                     --Milton.
   2. The utmost degree; the acme; the summit.
            The top of my ambition is to contribute to that
            work.                                 --Pope.
   3. The highest rank; the most honorable position; the utmost
      attainable place; as, to be at the top of one's class, or
      at the top of the school.
            And wears upon his baby brow the round And top of
            sovereignty.                          --Shak.
   4. The chief person; the most prominent one.
            Other . . . aspired to be the top of zealots.
                                                  --Milton.
   5. The crown of the head, or the hair upon it; the head.
      ``From top to toe'' --Spenser.
            All the stored vengeance of Heaven fall On her
            ungrateful top !                      --Shak.
   6. The head, or upper part, of a plant.
            The buds . . . are called heads, or tops, as
            cabbageheads.                         --I. Watts.
   7. (Naut.) A platform surrounding the head of the lower mast
      and projecting on all sudes. It serves to spead the
      topmast rigging, thus strengheningthe mast, and also
      furnishes a convenient standing place for the men aloft.
      --Totten.
   8. (Wool Manuf.) A bundle or ball of slivers of comkbed wool,
      from which the noils, or dust, have been taken out.
   9. Eve; verge; point. [R.] ``He was upon the top of his
      marriage with Magdaleine.'' --Knolles.
   10. The part of a cut gem between the girdle, or
       circumference, and the table, or flat upper surface.
       --Knight.
   11. pl. Top-boots. [Slang] --Dickens.
   Note: Top is often used adjectively or as the first part of
         compound words, usually self-explaining; as, top stone,
         or topstone; top-boots, or top boots; top soil, or
         top-soil.
   {Top and but} (Shipbuilding), a phrase used to denote a
      method of working long tapering planks by bringing the but
      of one plank to the top of the other to make up a constant
      breadth in two layers.
   {Top minnow} (Zo["o]l.), a small viviparous fresh-water fish
      ({Gambusia patruelis}) abundant in the Southern United
      States. Also applied to other similar species.
   

6. \Top\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Topped}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Topping}.]
   1. To rise aloft; to be eminent; to tower; as, lofty ridges
      and topping mountains. --Derham.
   2. To predominate; as, topping passions. ``Influenced by
      topping uneasiness.'' --Locke.
   3. To excel; to rise above others.
            But write thy, and top.               --Dryden.
   

7. \Top\, v. t.
   1. To cover on the top; to tip; to cap; -- chiefly used in
      the past participle.
            Like moving mountains topped with snow. --Waller.
            A mount Of alabaster, topped with golden spires.
                                                  --Milton.
   2. To rise above; to excel; to outgo; to surpass.
            Topping all others in boasting.       --Shak.
            Edmund the base shall top the legitimate. --Shak.
   3. To rise to the top of; to go over the top of.
            But wind about till thou hast topped the hill.
                                                  --Denham.
   4. To take off the or upper part of; to crop.
            Top your rose trees a little with your knife.
                                                  --Evelyn.
   5. To perform eminently, or better than before.
            From endeavoring universally to top their parts,
            they will go universally beyond them. --Jeffrey.
   6. (Naut.) To raise one end of, as a yard, so that that end
      becomes higher than the other.
   {To top off}, to complete by putting on, or finishing, the
      top or uppermost part of; as, to top off a stack of hay;
      hence, to complete; to finish; to adorn.
   

Technical/Office Protocol