topple

English

Etymology

From top +‎ -le (frequentative verb suffix).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑpl̩/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɒpl̩/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒpəl
• Hyphenation: top‧ple

Verb

topple (third-person singular simple present topples, present participle toppling, simple past and past participle toppled)

1. (transitive) To push or throw over.

   The massed crowds toppled the statue of the former dictator.

2. To overturn.
3. (figurative) To overthrow something.

   to topple one's rival

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

     Barla Von: Most people think I deal in finances, but my real currency is knowledge. I trade information and it has made me very wealthy.
     Barla Von: But the Shadow Broker is the true master. Every day, he buys and sells secrets that could topple governments, always giving them to the highest bidder.

   • 2023 May 24, Nicholas Nehamas, “Ron DeSantis Joins 2024 Race, Hoping to Topple Trump”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     He now confronts the daunting endeavor of toppling a former president whose belligerence and loyal base of support have discouraged most leading Republicans — including, up to now, Mr. DeSantis — from making frontal attacks against him.

4. (intransitive) To totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so.

   The pile of pennies began to topple.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XV, page 24:

     […] yonder cloud
     That rises upward always higher,
     ⁠And onward drags a labouring breast,
     ⁠And topples round the dreary west,
     A looming bastion fringed with fire.

Derived terms

• topple over

 

Translations

to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: yıxmaq (az), devirmək (az), çevirmək (az)
• Bulgarian: събарям (bg) (sǎbarjam), прекатурвам (prekaturvam)
• Catalan: tombar (ca), enderrocar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 推翻 (zh) (tuīfān)

• Czech: překotit pf, převrhnout pf, svalit pf, svrhnout pf
• Danish: vælte (da), styrte, omstyrte
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• French: renverser (fr), (of statues) déboulonner (fr)
• Galician: derrubar (gl), estomballar (gl)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: stürzen (de), umkippen (de)
• Greek: ανατρέπω (el) (anatrépo), αναποδογυρίζω (el) (anapodogyrízo)
• Hungarian: dönt (hu), leborít (hu), felborít (hu), ledönt (hu)
• Icelandic: velta
• Italian: abbattere (it), abbattersi (it)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: whakahinga, turaki
• Norwegian: styrte (no), velte
• Polish: przewracać (pl) impf, przewrócić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: derrubar (pt)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: опроки́дывать (ru) impf (oprokídyvatʹ), опроки́нуть (ru) pf (oprokínutʹ), вали́ть (ru) impf (valítʹ), повали́ть (ru) pf (povalítʹ), сверга́ть (ru) impf (svergátʹ), све́ргнуть (ru) pf (svérgnutʹ)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: derribar (es)
• Swedish: tippa (sv), välta (sv), stjälpa (sv), störta (sv)
• Tamil: பின் தள்ளுதல் (piṉ taḷḷutal)
• Telugu: పడగొట్టు (te) (paḍagoṭṭu)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: повали́ти pf (povalýty), вали́ти (uk) impf (valýty)
• Walloon: stårer (wa)

to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so

• Bulgarian: заплашвам да падна (zaplašvam da padna)
• Catalan: vinclar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 倒下 (zh) (dǎoxià)

• Czech: kácet se impf, překotit se pf, převrhnout se pf
• Danish: vælte (da)
• French: tomber (fr), chuter (fr)
• German: umfallen (de), umkippen (de), wackeln (de)
• Greek: καταπίπτω (el) (katapípto), κλονίζομαι (el) (klonízomai)
• Hungarian: eldől (hu), felborul (hu), dől (hu)
• Italian: reclinare (it), reclinarsi
• Russian: вали́ться (ru) impf (valítʹsja), повали́ться (ru) pf (povalítʹsja), опроки́дываться (ru) impf (oprokídyvatʹsja), опроки́нуться (ru) pf (oprokínutʹsja), (jocular) чебура́хнуться (ru) pf (čeburáxnutʹsja)
• Sanskrit: पद्यते (sa) (padyate)
• Spanish: recargar (es)
• Swedish: tippa (sv)
• Ukrainian: валитися (uk) (valytysja)

Noun

topple (plural topples)

1. (informal) A fall (an instance of falling over).
2. A cascade of dominoes falling, such that each fall causes the next domino to topple.

Anagrams

• loppet