Meanings
verbtopple (third-person singular simple present topples, present participle toppling, simple past and past participle toppled)
present singular third person topples · participle present toppling · participle past toppled · past toppled
- To overturn.
- figurativelyTo overthrow something.
to topple one's rival
2 more examples
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.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: CitadelHe 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.
2023 May 24, Nicholas Nehamas, “Ron DeSantis Joins 2024 Race, Hoping to Topple Trump”, in The New York Times, →ISSN - intransitiveTo totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so.
The pile of pennies began to topple.
1 more example
[…] 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.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 24
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From top + -le (frequentative verb suffix).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian събарям, прекатурвам
- събарям (săbarjam)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- прекатурвам (prekaturvam)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- заплашвам да падна (zaplašvam da padna)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Catalan tombar, enderrocar
- tombarto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- enderrocarto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- vinclarto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Chinese Mandarin 推翻, 倒下
- 推翻 (tuīfān)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- 倒下 (dǎoxià)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Czech překotit, převrhnout
- překotitto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- převrhnoutto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- svalitto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- svrhnoutto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- kácet seto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- překotit seto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- převrhnout seto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- skácet seto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- svalit seto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Danish vælte, styrte
- vælteto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- styrteto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- omstyrteto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- vælteto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Finnish kaataa, kumota
- kaataato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- kumotato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- horjuato totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
French renverser, déboulonner
- renverserto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- déboulonnerto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- tomberto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- chuterto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
German stürzen, umkippen
- stürzento push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- umkippento push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- umfallento totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- umkippento totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- wackelnto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Greek ανατρέπω, αναποδογυρίζω
- ανατρέπω (anatrépo)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- αναποδογυρίζω (anapodogyrízo)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- καταπίπτω (katapípto)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- κλονίζομαι (klonízomai)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Hungarian dönt, leborít
- döntto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- leborítto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- felborítto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- ledöntto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- eldőlto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- felborulto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- dőlto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Icelandic velta
- veltato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Italian abbattere, abbattersi
- abbattereto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- abbattersito push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- reclinareto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- reclinarsito totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Māori whakahinga, turaki
- whakahingato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- turakito push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Norwegian styrte, velte
- styrteto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- velteto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Polish przewracać, przewrócić
- przewracaćto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- przewrócićto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Portuguese derrubar
- derrubarto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Romanian răsturna, dărâma
- răsturnato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- dărâmato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Russian опроки́дывать, опроки́нуть
- опроки́дывать (oprokídyvatʹ)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- опроки́нуть (oprokínutʹ)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- вали́ть (valítʹ)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- повали́ть (povalítʹ)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- сверга́ть (svergátʹ)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- све́ргнуть (svérgnutʹ)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- вали́ться (valítʹsja)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- повали́ться (povalítʹsja)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- опроки́дываться (oprokídyvatʹsja)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- опроки́нуться (oprokínutʹsja)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
- чебура́хнуться (čeburáxnutʹsja)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Spanish derribar, tumbarse
- derribarto push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- tumbarseto totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Swedish tippa, välta
- tippato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- vältato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- stjälpato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- störtato push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- tippato totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Tamil பின் தள்ளுதல்
- பின் தள்ளுதல் (piṉ taḷḷutal)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
Ukrainian повали́ти, вали́ти
- повали́ти (povalýty)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- вали́ти (valýty)to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something
- валитися (valytysja)to totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with topple
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
topple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/topple
MLA
“topple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/topple. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “topple,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/topple.
Source: topple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.