topping

topping — adjective

1. at the very highest level in a particular field or activity, especially in sport

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

at the very highest level in a particular field or activity, especially in sports, academic institutions, or competitive rankings.

Example

Asher's chess club is the topping team in the national youth league.

attributive use: topping + team

Many young athletes dream of playing for a topping Premier League club.

collocation: topping club

Common collocations
  • topping team
  • topping club
  • topping graduate
  • topping institution
  • topping player
Synonyms
  • top

    neutral, much more common; works both attributively and predictively

  • leading

    standard in modern English for rankings; carries no informal register

  • foremost

    more formal; implies not just rank but pre-eminence

  • premier

    formal; emphasises prestige rather than numerical rank

Antonyms
  • lowest

    opposite in rank order

  • bottom

    opposite in competitive or institutional hierarchies

Grammar Patterns

topping + noun

Usage Note

Attributive only — used before a noun, not after a linking verb. You would not say "This team is topping." This sense is largely restricted to British informal English and is less common in modern speech than synonyms like "top" or "leading."

Common Mistakes

That school is topping.
That school is a topping institution.
'topping' in this sense is attributive only and must come before a noun.
The topping player in the world is from Brazil.
The top player in the world is from Brazil.
for most modern contexts, use 'top' instead of 'topping'; 'topping' sounds dated.

2. extremely good in quality; of the highest standard — used to describe an experie

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

extremely good in quality; of the highest standard — used to describe an experience, item, or performance that impresses or delights.

Example

Hoa gave a topping performance at the school concert last night.

attributive use: topping + performance

Everyone agreed it was a topping afternoon at the seaside, with sunshine and live music.

Common collocations
  • topping performance
  • topping time
  • topping cake
  • topping meal
  • topping film
Synonyms
  • excellent

    standard, neutral register; far more common across all varieties of English

  • splendid

    also somewhat dated, but still understood; similar register to 'topping'

  • brilliant

    the modern British equivalent; very common in informal UK speech

Antonyms
  • terrible

    opposite of excellent quality

  • awful

    common informal opposite

Grammar Patterns

topping + noun

be + topping

Usage Note

Dated British slang — widely used in early-to-mid 20th century but now sounds old-fashioned. Occurs in both attributive ("a topping meal") and predicative ("that's topping!") positions. Modern speakers prefer "great," "brilliant," or "fantastic."

Common Mistakes

The party was topping — everyone had fun.' (not wrong, but sounds dated)
The party was brilliant
everyone had fun.' — for natural modern British English, avoid 'topping' in this sense.
She gave a topping presentation at the conference.
She gave an excellent presentation at the conference.
'topping' as an adjective for 'excellent' is very rare in American English and dated in British English.

topping — noun

Word family

  • top
    nounA1
  • top
    verbA2
  • top
    adjectiveA2
  • topmost
    adjectiveB2
  • topless
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A topping is any food substance placed on top of a dish for extra flavour or texture — it can be sweet or savoury, hot or cold, and adds substantial bulk (e.g., melted cheese on pizza, crushed nuts on ice cream). A garnish (B2) is a small decorative item added just before serving — it is primarily visual, like parsley sprigs or lemon slices, and does not change the dish's flavour significantly. A dressing (B2) is specifically a liquid or semi-liquid mixture used almost exclusively for salads (e.g., vinaigrette, ranch). Sauce (A2) is the broadest category: any liquid or semi-liquid accompaniment that can be a topping, served on the side, or cooked into the dish. For example, tomato sauce on pizza is both a sauce and a topping, but a bowl of gravy served alongside roast meat is a sauce, not a topping.

topping ↗garnishdressing ↗sauce ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • as a topping
  • extra topping
  • choice of toppings
  • assorted toppings

Prepositions

  • topping of
  • topping for
  • topping on
  • with a topping of

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from the English word 'top' (meaning the highest part of something) combined with the suffix '-ing.' 'Top' comes from Old English 'topp,' referring to the summit or tuft of something. The noun sense of 'topping' as 'something placed on top' appeared in the 14th century, while the specific food sense emerged in the early 20th century alongside the rise of commercial pizza and ice cream desserts. The informal British adjective senses developed in 19th-century slang, originally meaning 'proud' or 'arrogant' before shifting to 'first-rate' or 'excellent.'