topple
UK /ˈtɒpl̩/ · US /ˈtɑpl̩/ verb, noun
Forms topples toppling toppled
- verb (transitive) To push or throw over. “The massed crowds toppled the statue of the former dictator.”
- verb To overturn.
- verb (figurative) To overthrow something. “to topple one's rival”
- verb (intransitive) To totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so. “The pile of pennies began to topple.”
- noun (informal) A fall (an instance of falling over).
- noun A cascade of dominoes falling, such that each fall causes the next domino to topple.
Synonyms
Etymology
From top + -le (frequentative verb suffix).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [From Top summit.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “topple”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details