Meanings
- On the top of.
He sat atop the mountain, waiting for the end of the world.
3 more examples
For example, when trailers containing new automobiles were first piggybacked two areas of potential damage became evident: (1) diesel locomotive exhaust left a film of oil on the new autos; and (2) auto windshields could be scarred or cracked by the metal-tipped "tell-tales" which warn men atop trains of oncoming bridges or tunnels.
1960 November, David Morgan, “"Piggyback"—U.S. success story”, in Trains Illustrated, page 684"And other things," she echoed, nodding slowly and resting her body a little more atop him again.
2006, Dewey Lambdin, The Gun Ketch, page 482014, 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.
- archaicliterarynot comparableOn, to, or at the top.
The envoy found the French king playing the part of horse while his young son rode atop.
1978, James C. Humes, Speaker's Treasury of Anecdotes About the Famous, Harper & Row, published 1978, page 1022 more examples
He has a handsome face, still bearded in the midst of a mostly clean-shaving nation, and with the white hairs prevalent on the cheeks and temples; his head is bald atop, though hardly from the uneasiness of wearing a crown.
1909, William Dean Howells, Seven English Cities, Kessinger Publishing, published 2004, page 46Everything large or small is carried atop out of habit as much as necessity, like a delightful but defiant challenge to the laws of gravity.
1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, page 52
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂en-
- Proto-Germanic*an
- Proto-West Germanic*ana
- Old Englishon
- Middle Englishan
- Middle Englisha-
- Englisha-
- Englishtop
- Englishatop
Translations
Arabic فَوْق
- فَوْق (fawq)on the top of
Catalan a la cima
- a la cimaon the top of
Chinese Mandarin 在……頂上 /在……顶上, 在……頂上 /在……顶上
- 在……頂上 /在……顶上 (zài... dǐng shàng)on the top of
- 在……頂上 /在……顶上 (zài... dǐng shàng)on, to or at the top
Dutch bovenop
- bovenopon the top of
Esperanto sur
- suron the top of
Finnish päällä, huipulla
- päälläon the top of
- huipullaon the top of
- päälläon, to or at the top
- päälleon, to or at the top
French au-dessus de, en haut de
- au-dessus deon the top of
- en haut deon the top of
- en haut deon, to or at the top
German obenauf, zuoberst
- obenaufon the top of
- zuoberston the top of
- obendraufon the top of
Hindi के ऊपर
- के ऊपर (ke ūpar)on the top of
Hungarian tetején, fent
- tetejénon the top of
- fenton, to or at the top
- felülon, to or at the top
Irish ar bharr
- ar bharron the top of
Italian in cima, in cima a
- in cimaon the top of
- in cima aon the top of
- sopraon the top of
- suron the top of
- suon the top of
Latin supra
- supraon the top of
Polish na, na wierzchu
- naon the top of
- na wierzchuon, to or at the top
Portuguese sobre
- sobreon the top of
Russian наверху
- наверху (naverxu)on the top of
Slovak navrchu, navrch
- navrchuon the top of
- navrchon the top of
- navrchuon, to or at the top
- navrchon, to or at the top
Spanish encima de
- encima deon the top of
Swedish på toppen av
- på toppen avon the top of
Thai ข้างบน
- ข้างบน (kâang-bon)on the top of
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with atop
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
atop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atop
“atop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atop. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “atop,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atop.
Source: atop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.