Top and bottom are some of the simplest terms used in the English vocabulary. Top and bottom are those words that can mean more than one thing at a time. BTheyare the most general terms that a child learns in the initial years of his/her life.
Top vs Bottom
The difference between top and bottom is that the top is used as a noun for the highest part or a point whereas the bottom is used as the noun for the lowest part or point. In other words, the top means the upper part of something, and the bottom word means the lower part.
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The top is used as a term for the highest part of something. It also means a flat region on something. The flat area is also called the top.
It has a vivid description of many aspects of using the English language. It also signifies the most important or highest position.
The bottom is the opposite of the word top. Bottom, in a basic manner, is used for signifying somewhere’s lowest place or position.
The bottom also has a wide set of meanings that are used in the everyday English language. The word bottom points to the most downward aspect of something.
Comparison Table
Parameters of Comparison | Top | Bottom |
---|---|---|
Noun | Top, in the form of a noun, signifies the highest point or part of something. | When used as a noun, the bottom signifies the lowest part or point of something. |
Adjective | When used as an adjective, the top is used to relate to the highest position. | The bottom word as an adjective relates to the lowest position or most down degree of something. |
Verb | When used as a verb, top means the most important or highest presence of something. | Bottom means downgraded or very cheap when used as a verb. |
Clothing relation | The top also means upper body garment that can be worn. | Bottom means the lower garment or clothing that someone can wear in the lower body segment. |
American slang | In slang terms, the top is used for the most dominant person in sexual intercourse. | Bottom, in slang terms, is used for the most submissive person in sexual intercourse. |
What is Top?
We can use top in various aspects of our everyday life. If we talk about basic knowledge, the top means the uppermost part or the highest position.
For example, a tabletop means the flat and the top surface of that table. The top is used as a noun, adjective, and verb also. When we talk about stocks, success, and dominance, the top refers to the highest position of an organization.
A man who is on top can be referred to as the most paid man or the most successful man in any aspect of that organization. The word top is also used as an upper-body part garment that can be worn.
These garments mean shirts, t-shirts, coats, blazers, etc. The upper clothing body part of the body also refers to the top that someone wore. Besides these, the top is also used as an American slang term.
In sexual intercourse between two people of the same gender, the top is used to refer to the one who is more dominant and aggressive in the act.
The other examples of using the top include the top of a staircase, the top of the building or a table, etc. The top can also be used for rank, power, or success.
What is Bottom?
The bottom is a word that is an antonym of the top. Every opposite meaning of top is for the bottom. Both of them are just opposite words. When we talk about general definition, the bottom means the lowest part or position of something.
The bottom is also used as a noun, adjective, and verb in a sentence. For instance, the bottom of a staircase or a building can be taken as a reference to learn about the word bottom.
Bottom refers to the most downgrade or the lowest position of an organization like the lowest-paid firm of an organization is declared as bottom or downgraded firm.
When we talk about rank, the bottom means the lowest rank in any aspect. Just like the top, the bottom is also used to refer to the lowest body part clothing.
When we say bottom, it means jeans, undergarments, trousers, etc that are wearable. In American slang terms, the bottom is used for someone in sexual intercourse who is the most submissive in that intercourse.
Top and bottom are used as slang when the same genders interact. The bottom is also used about rank, power, or success. For instance, the bottom of a building means the ground floor of the building.
Main Differences Between Top and Bottom
- The top is used to refer to the overside of something whereas the bottom is used to refer to the underside of something.
- The top word is used to make the word ‘topper’ who is someone who ranks the highest in a class of students whereas the bottom has no relation with the lowest-ranked.
- The top is used to justify the superior quality of the materials or ingredients used to build something whereas the bottom is used to refer to the inferior quality of materials or ingredients to build something.
- The word top is also used to indicate the part of a warship in relation to army personnel whereas the bottom has no relation to it.
- The top is used to signify the highest place of precedence whereas the bottom signifies the lowest precedence or order place of something.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_3hZKXdSEcQC&oi=fnd&dq=Difference+Between+Top+and+Bottom+(With+Table)&ots=ao2mm8Xffz&sig=nTyp7n0_5NeTJVLZ5qokwRxsX_A
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jaime-Araya/publication/260422971_Key_performance_variables_between_the_top_10_and_bottom_10_teams_in_the_English_Premier_League_201213_season/links/00b49531161bf1bead000000/Key-performance-variables-between-the-top-10-and-bottom-10-teams-in-the-English-Premier-League-2012-13-season.pdf
Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.