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

Reinforce your pup’s positive behavior with these top dog treats.

From Popular-Science

If you spend unending hours on trains and planes, or around coworkers that chew loudly during lunch, investing in the top dog noise cancelling might be worth it for you.

From Popular-Science

In fact, becoming top dog is so fraught that many observers suspect that Colin Huang—founder of e-commerce firm Pinduoduo—purposely divested company stock last year to avoid becoming the country’s wealthiest individual.

From Time

It’s good to the be the top dog at Coinbase—better than it is to be the chief of JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs, if CEO Brian Armstrong’s total pay is anything to go by.

From Quartz

READ MORE ON OZYThese trends will determine whether China emerges as the world’s top dog.

From Ozy

In any event, for the Kudo-kai, the police arrest of their top dog is expected to have the impact of a well-thrown hand grenade.

From The Daily Beast

If Ben Affleck is the top dog at the rear of the party, Taylor Swift is the center of attention at the front of it.

From The Daily Beast

Not of a top dog, as This Morning remains comfortably in third, but one that says to those other guys, “We are coming for you.”

From The Daily Beast

Google could spend less on development, and still maintain its position as top dog.

From The Daily Beast

But his immediate task is to reassure his supporters that he is still top dog.

From The Daily Beast

Go back on my hand-shake, just to be top dog and get the bones!

From Project Gutenberg

They were not weakly addicted to half measures in those days, whichever side was "top dog."

From Project Gutenberg

And Ive got the best grey matter in this camp, and Im going to be top dog as a matter of course.

From Project Gutenberg

If youd had a mind superior to Moirs youd be top dog here, with Moir fetching bones for you.

From Project Gutenberg

She wondered if they met, who would come out top-dog; so she phrased it in her quick brain.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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