top dog

noun

1. a person, group, or nation that has acquired a position of highest authority.
2. the winner of a competition or rivalry; champion:

   He was determined to be top dog at the swimming meet.

3. Animal Behavior. the alpha male or alpha female in a dominance hierarchy.

top dog

noun

1. informal.
   the leader or chief of a group

Other Words From

• top-dog adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of top dog¹

First recorded in 1885–1900

Idioms and Phrases

see top banana .

Example Sentences

When the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees last met in the World Series in 1981, there was no question which city was top dog.

From Los Angeles Times

Dubois, 27, becomes a top dog in the glamour division, but 'Dynamite' is not a flash in the pan and has long been prophesied for heavyweight stardom.

From BBC

Judges have selected the first four finalists in the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show ahead of Tuesday night's crowning of a new top dog.

From BBC

“People love underdogs until you become, I guess, a top dog.”

From Los Angeles Times

Hamas wants to prevent that outcome, survive long into the future, cement itself as an irreversible component of the broader Palestinian national movement and remain the top dog in Gaza.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• administrator
• agent
• bureaucrat
• civil servant
• commissioner
• director
• executive
• leader
• manager
• minister
• officer
• representative
• secretary