Top crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Top” are BEST, HIGH or LEAD, with 4 letters. Below are 53 answers from 3 to 12 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

TIP 3 letters · noun

the top or extreme point of something (usually a mountain or hill) “they clambered to the tip of Monadnock”

BEST 4 letters · adverb

in a most excellent way or manner “he played best after a couple of martinis”

CLEAR 5 letters · verb

pass by, over, or under without making contact “the balloon cleared the tree tops”

HEIGHT 6 letters · noun

the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development “at the height of her career”

LAYERED 7 letters · adjective

with one layer on top of another

PINNACLE 8 letters · noun

the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development “… catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle of fame”

ELEVATION 9 letters · noun

the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development

SURMOUNTED 10 letters · adjective

having something on top “columns surmounted by statues”

SUPERLATIVE 11 letters · noun

the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development “so many highest superlatives achieved by man”

SUPERIMPOSED 12 letters · adjective

with one layer on top of another “superimposed rocks”

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, BEST, HIGH, LEAD, PASS, PEAK and ACME all fit. The fourth letter tells them all apart: T → BEST · H → HIGH · D → LEAD · S → PASS · K → PEAK · E → ACME. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, CLEAR, COVER, CROWN, PINCH, CREST and UPPER all fit. The second letter settles most of it: L → CLEAR · O → COVER · R → CROWN, CREST · I → PINCH · P → UPPER. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 3 squares, TIP, CAP and BIB all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: T → TIP · C → CAP · B → BIB. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “toped” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “top” means

• noun: the upper part of anything (“the mower cuts off the tops of the grass”)
• noun: the highest or uppermost side of anything (“put your books on top of the desk”)
• noun: the top or extreme point of something (usually a mountain or hill)
• noun: the first half of an inning; while the visiting team is at bat (“a relief pitcher took over in the top of the fifth”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as TOP, and words whose definition is TOP. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.