tabletop

1 of 2

noun

ta·​ble·​top ˈtā-bəl-ˌtäp 

variants or less commonly table top or table-top

plural tabletops also table tops or table-tops

1

: the top or surface of a table

a wooden tabletop

… slaps his palm on the table-top … to emphasize a point …

—Seamus Heffernan

2

: a photograph of small objects or a miniature scene arranged on a table

Photographing scenes or objects or people as or where we find them is great fun, but if you have never tried tabletops you have missed one real creative branch of photography.

—Robert A. Bohlen

Both have won several awards for their [photographic] work, exhibited locally and internationally. He specializes in portraits, she prefers "table tops" or still-life arrangements.

—Charlie Fidelman

also : photography involving such photographs

Everyone's goal seemed to be soft, shadowless lighting. I didn't like it, although for a time—like everyone in tabletop—I subscribed to it.

—Bruce Wolf, quoted in Photo District News

tabletop

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly table-top or table top

1

: designed or suitable for use or display on a tabletop or similar surface

This symmetrical conifer is a standard tabletop Christmas tree.

—Jim McCausland

… offers full-sized propane heaters and smaller table-top models …

—Brent Hallenbeck

Tabletop games, which can be played at bars, game shops and cafes … incorporate many types of play …

—Sam Sanders

2

: of, relating to, or involving games (such as board games or card games) that are designed to be played at or on a table

Three years ago, a team of tabletop industry experts gathered to create the American alternative to … Germany's prestigious board game awards.

—Charlie Hall

… a giant board game release party, where publishers unleash their newest games to the most committed and enthusiastic tabletop gamers.

—Aaron Zimmerman

There are several benefits to tabletop gaming: it provides positive social interaction, … it's democratic and (for the most part) appropriate for all ages, and there is a game for practically every type of concept or genre.

—M. Brandon Robbins

3

photography : of or relating to tabletops (see tabletop entry 1 sense 2)

Glassware photography is a subset of table top photography but it is the trickiest of the lot.

—Smart Photography

: being a tabletop

Your first step in making a tabletop photo is to choose a toy that is realistic in appearance and suitable in size. Then plan your story idea carefully before building your setup.

—Lloyd Van Horsen

Examples of tabletop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tomato flowers are pollinated by vibration (not by insects), and gentle thumping equivalent to propelling a wad of paper across a tabletop will usually cause pollen to drop within the flower. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 June 2024

Our goal is to arrange cutouts on an infinite tabletop so that every bit of table is covered by exactly one layer of paper. —Craig S. Kaplan, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024

Adjective

Games Workshop, the owner of the tabletop strategy game Warhammer and the European licenser of Dungeons & Dragons, is paying staff around $8,600 each as a reward for surging sales at the group. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune Europe, 20 June 2024

The set includes one tabletop cover that can cover a 72- by 28-inch picnic table, as well as two bench covers that stretch to fit 12- by 72-inch benches. —Carly Totten, Southern Living, 20 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tabletop

• tabletop gamers
• tabletop gaming

Kids Definition

tabletop

noun

ta·​ble·​top ˈtā-bəl-ˌtäp 

: the top of a table