n. - 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.
n. - 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.
n. - 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.
n. - The utmost degree; the acme; the summit.
n. - 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.
n. - The chief person; the most prominent one.
n. - The crown of the head, or the hair upon it; the head.
n. - The head, or upper part, of a plant.
n. - 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.
n. - A bundle or ball of slivers of comkbed wool, from which the noils, or dust, have been taken out.
n. - Eve; verge; point.
n. - The part of a cut gem between the girdle, or circumference, and the table, or flat upper surface.
n. - Top-boots.
v. i. - To rise aloft; to be eminent; to tower; as, lofty ridges and topping mountains.
v. i. - To predominate; as, topping passions.
v. i. - To excel; to rise above others.
v. t. - To cover on the top; to tip; to cap; -- chiefly used in the past participle.
v. t. - To rise above; to excel; to outgo; to surpass.
v. t. - To rise to the top of; to go over the top of.
v. t. - To take off the or upper part of; to crop.
v. t. - To perform eminently, or better than before.
v. t. - To raise one end of, as a yard, so that that end becomes higher than the other.
n. - A stroke on the top of the ball.
n. - A forward spin given to the ball by hitting it on or near the top.
v. t. - To cover with another dye; as, to top aniline black with methyl violet to prevent greening and crocking.
v. t. - To put a stiffening piece or back on (a saw blade).
v. t. - To arrange, as fruit, with the best on top.
v. t. - To strike the top of, as a wall, with the hind feet, in jumping, so as to gain new impetus; -- said of a horse.
v. t. - To improve (domestic animals, esp. sheep) by crossing certain individuals or breeds with other superior.
v. t. - To raise one end of, as a yard, so that that end becomes higher than the other.
v. t. - To cut, break, or otherwise take off the top of (a steel ingot) to remove unsound metal.
v. t. - To strike (the ball) above the center; also, to make (as a stroke) by hitting the ball in this way.
v. i. - To strike a ball above the center.
v. i. - To rise at one end, as a yard; -- usually with up.