topple
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To push or throw over.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tahpuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɑpəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To push or throw over.
To overturn.
intransitive
To totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so.
figurative
To overthrow something.
noun
informal
A cascade of dominoes falling, such that each fall causes the next domino to topple.
informal
A fall (an instance of falling over).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To push or throw over.
Used this way, topple is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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What Does It Mean Here?
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.