topple

verb

top·​ple ˈtä-pəl 

toppled; toppling ˈtä-p(ə-)liŋ 

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

b

: defeat sense 1

Synonyms

• fall
• slip
• stumble
• trip
• tumble

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

One Direction toppled chart records that had stood since The Beatles’ legendary run in the 1960s, and inspired the revival of the boyband in popular culture. —Rob Picheta, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024

Bonus points for unique villains (including the deaf-mute Hammer Girl and baseball-wielding brother) and high stakes that play out like a Jenga tower always on the verge of toppling over. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024

Focused rage can topple institutions, demolish ideologies, rally revolutions, step on the gas of progress or simply destroy us all. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 18 Nov. 2024

Facing the loss of two or more seats, Democrats are struggling to maintain their slim control of the U.S. Senate, a fight that could come down to Texas and Allred’s bid to topple one of his party’s archnemeses, Republican Ted Cruz. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

frequentative of top entry 3

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

topple

verb

top·​ple ˈtäp-əl 

toppled; toppling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to fall over from being too heavy at the top

2

: to push over