top-line

1 of 2

adjective

ˈtäp-ˌlīn 

1

a

: most featured or prominently advertised : leading

… its oldest top-line act, the Rolling Stones, has long been taken as a symbol of the excesses of rock's nightmare side.

—Ethan Mordden

b

: of the highest quality, level, or degree : top-of-the-line

The lauded ladies received top-line Southern hospitality …

—Tim Allis

The new chips may well make moderately priced workhorse computers—the type many people buy—perform more like today's top-line models.

—Consumer Reports

2

business : relating to or concerned with gross sales or revenue

For real value creation, the merged company has to produce top-line growth and better margins through superior offerings to customers.

—Geoffrey Colvin

top line

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly topline

ˈtäp-ˌlīn 

plural top lines also toplines

1

business : the line at the top of a financial report that shows gross sales or revenue before the deduction of expenses or losses

The top line is weak, with a meager 0.3% sales gain last year, to $669 million, which doesn't even keep up with inflation.

—Jack Gage

When I first started writing about business, earnings stories focused on two numbers: sales (the top line on a company's income statement) and net income (the bottom line, after deducting all expenses including taxes).

—Kathleen Pender

compare bottom line sense 2a

2

usually topline : the outline of the top of the body of an animal (such as a dog or horse)

A long-legged, long-moving individual with long topline is considered the optimum type for the horse show.

—Linda Connors

Examples of top-line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This still fares much better than F5, which is expected to see its top-line expand at a mid-single-digit average annual rate over the next few years. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Sports enjoy unparalleled loyalty and deliver higher top-line growth and greater resilience to economic downturns than almost any other comparable asset class. —Richard Albert, Sportico.com, 5 Dec. 2024

That maneuver would protect an increase in defense funding from bipartisan negotiations over the top-line spending limits for the 12 annual appropriations bills. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024

In some ways, Winnipeg’s top-line struggles gave Arniel the perfect opportunity to assert himself as head coach. —Murat Ates, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 2