Standard Lemma guide

atop

adv · prep · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /əˈtɒp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒp
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 T AA1 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

On, to, or at the top.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, literary, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

prep

Meaning 2

On the top of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He sat atop the mountain, waiting for the end of the world.
  • 2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text “Monotheism was born here,” Goren tells me atop a cliff overlooking the sheet of iron-colored water.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

prep

Meaning 3

On the top (with of).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Examples

  • He sat atop of the mountain, waiting for the end of the world.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

on, to, or at the top

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From a- (“on”) + top.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 在......頂上 /在......顶上 (zài... dǐng shàng) — on, to or at the top
  • Finnish: päällä — on, to or at the top
  • Finnish: päälle — on, to or at the top
  • French: en haut de — on, to or at the top
  • Hungarian: fent — on, to or at the top
  • Hungarian: felül — on, to or at the top
  • Polish: na wierzchu — on, to or at the top
  • Slovak: navrchu — on, to or at the top
  • Slovak: navrch — on, to or at the top
  • Arabic: فَوْق (fawq) — on the top of
  • Arabic: فوق (fooʔ) — on the top of
  • Catalan: a la cima — on the top of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 在......頂上 /在......顶上 (zài... dǐng shàng) — on the top of
  • Dutch: bovenop — on the top of
  • Esperanto: sur — on the top of
  • Finnish: päällä — on the top of
  • Finnish: huipulla — on the top of
  • French: au-dessus de — on the top of
  • French: en haut de — on the top of
  • German: obenauf — on the top of
  • German: zuoberst — on the top of
  • German: obendrauf — on the top of
  • Mbya Guarani: áry — on the top of
  • Hindi: के ऊपर (ke ūpar) — on the top of
  • Hungarian: tetején — on the top of
  • Irish: ar bharr — on the top of
  • Italian: in cima — on the top of
  • Italian: in cima a — on the top of
  • Italian: sopra — on the top of
  • Italian: sur — on the top of
  • Italian: su — on the top of
  • Khmer: លើ (ləə) — on the top of
  • Ladino: enriva de — on the top of
  • Latin: supra — on the top of
  • Navajo: bikáaʼgi — on the top of
  • Polish: na — on the top of
  • Portuguese: sobre — on the top of
  • Quechua: pata — on the top of
  • Russian: наверху (naverxu) — on the top of
  • Scots: atap — on the top of
  • Slovak: navrchu — on the top of
  • Slovak: navrch — on the top of
  • Spanish: encima de — on the top of
  • Swedish: på toppen av — on the top of
  • Thai: ข้างบน (kâang-bon) — on the top of