adj · adv · noun · 8 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
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CMU ARPABET:T AA1 P L AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Lacking a top.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
The sight-seeing bus is topless to allow tourists a better view of the sights.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Very high; towering.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Not wearing a garment covering the top half of the body; naked from the waist up.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
The council voted to allow topless swimmers on the beach.
Featuring women that are naked from the waist up, often strippers or dancers.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
Only her closest friends knew that Jenny was working at a topless bar to help with college expenses.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adv
Meaning 5
Not wearing any clothes on the upper body.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A convertible car having the top retracted or otherwise open.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: automotive, transport, vehicles
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
adjective
Meaning 7
having no top
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a topless jar
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: topped
8
adjective satellite
Meaning 8
having the breasts uncovered or featuring such nudity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
topless waitresses
a topless cabaret
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bare-breasted, braless
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English top Proto-Indo-European *lewh1- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English topless From top + -less.
Across languages
Translations
72 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
без покрив
(bez pokriv)
— lacking a top
Chinese Mandarin:
无顶
— lacking a top
Chinese Mandarin:
無頂 /无顶
— lacking a top
Finnish:
yläosaton
— lacking a top
Finnish:
avonainen
— lacking a top
Hungarian:
tető nélküli
— lacking a top
Russian:
без ве́рха
(bez vérxa)
— lacking a top
Sicilian:
â nuda
— lacking a top
Sicilian:
a l'ariò
— lacking a top
Sicilian:
a l'ària
— lacking a top
Sicilian:
a l'àriu
— lacking a top
Turkish:
üstsüz
— lacking a top
Welsh:
di-dop
— lacking a top
Finnish:
korkeana siintävä
— poetic: very high, towering
Hungarian:
égbe nyúló
— poetic: very high, towering
Bulgarian:
гол до кръста
(gol do krǎsta)
— naked from the waist up
Chinese Mandarin:
無上裝 /无上装
(wú shàngzhuāng)
— naked from the waist up
Chinese Mandarin:
上空
(shàngkōng)
— naked from the waist up
Czech:
nahoře bez
— naked from the waist up
Danish:
topløs
— naked from the waist up
Esperanto:
nudmama
— naked from the waist up
Faroese:
berbróstað
— naked from the waist up
Finnish:
yläosaton
— naked from the waist up
French:
topless
— naked from the waist up
French:
seins nus
— naked from the waist up
German:
barbusig
— naked from the waist up
German:
topless
— naked from the waist up
German:
oben ohne
— naked from the waist up
German:
busenfrei
— naked from the waist up
Greek:
γυμνόστηθος
(gymnóstithos)
— naked from the waist up
Hungarian:
félmeztelen
— naked from the waist up
Hungarian:
meztelen/csupasz felsőtestű
— naked from the waist up
Icelandic:
topplaus
— naked from the waist up
Icelandic:
berbrjósta
— naked from the waist up
Japanese:
トップレス
(topuresu)
— naked from the waist up
Māori:
ū tautau
— naked from the waist up
Norwegian Bokmål:
toppløs
— naked from the waist up
Norwegian Bokmål:
topplaus
— naked from the waist up
Norwegian Nynorsk:
topplaus
— naked from the waist up
Polish:
toples
— naked from the waist up
Polish:
topless
— naked from the waist up
Portuguese:
topless
— naked from the waist up
Russian:
с обнажённой гру́дью
(s obnažónnoj grúdʹju)
— naked from the waist up
Russian:
с го́лым то́рсом
(s gólym tórsom)
— naked from the waist up
Russian:
то́плес
(tóplɛs)
— naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a spaḍḍa nuda
— naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
â nuda
— naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a l'ariò
— naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a l'ària
— naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a l'àriu
— naked from the waist up
Slovak:
hore bez
— naked from the waist up
Swedish:
barbröstad
— naked from the waist up
Turkish:
üstsüz
— naked from the waist up
Vietnamese:
trần
— naked from the waist up
Welsh:
bronnoeth
— naked from the waist up
Bulgarian:
без горнище на банския
(bez gornište na banskija)
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Finnish:
topless
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Finnish:
tissi-
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
French:
topless
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
German:
barbusig
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
German:
topless
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Hungarian:
topless
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Japanese:
トップレス
(topuresu)
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Māori:
ū tautau
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Russian:
то́плес
(tóplɛs)
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
â nuda
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a l'ariò
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a l'ària
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Sicilian:
a l'àriu
— featuring women that are naked from the waist up
Finnish:
yläosattomana
— not wearing any clothes on the upper body
Polish:
toples
— not wearing any clothes on the upper body
Polish:
topless
— not wearing any clothes on the upper body
