tope

1 of 3

verb

toped; toping

intransitive verb

: to drink liquor to excess

tope

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a small slender cosmopolitan shark (Galeorhinus galeus) valued for its flesh, fins, and oil-rich liver

tope

3 of 3

noun (2)

: stupa

Examples of tope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
And Rustic Baked Potato Soup is made with potatoes, bacon, Monterey jack cheese and chives, toped with Asiago cheese. Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 11 Dec. 2024 And the new Rustic Baked Potato Soup is made with potatoes, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese and chives, toped with asiago cheese. Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
The league will feature some of the tope WNBA stars and play will take place in Miami throughout 2025 with plans to expand nationwide by 2026. Lindsey Darvin, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Other species, like the starry smooth-hound and tope sharks, were also found in the Thames river. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 11 Nov. 2021 But now, surprising creatures, like sharks including tope, starry smooth-hound and spurdog -- a slender fish measuring some 23 inches and covered in venomous spines -- have been found. Amy Woodyatt, CNN, 10 Nov. 2021 Also known as the ‘tope shark,’ genetic and tagging data shows that there are up to six separate subpopulations of these sharks but do not mate with one another. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 28 Apr. 2021 The tope shark, or school shark, has a condition called leucism that results in loss of pigmentation. Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, 5 Oct. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Verb

obsolete English tope, interjection used to wish good health before drinking

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2)

perhaps from Punjabi ṭop hat

First Known Use

Verb

1654, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1686, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tope was in 1654

Dictionary Entries Near tope

Cite this Entry

“Tope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tope. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on tope

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!