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 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 Tanzania had also fought a ruinous war with neighboring Uganda that toppled the dictator Idi Amin but deepened its own economic decline. Alan Cowell, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The tape was released 10 months later and toppled DeWit. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 The base is weighted to ensure the whole thing doesn’t topple over, even with an iPhone 15 Pro Max attached. David Phelan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Within Arab circles, especially, the symbolism of a self-immolation is potent: a Tunisian fruit vendor who burned himself to death in 2011 set off pro-democracy rebellions that toppled dictators and upended the Middle East. Hannah Allam, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024 Though not polling high enough to topple the two leading parties, independent candidates have earned sufficient votes to swing presidential elections. USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 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 19 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

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