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topmast

American  
[top-mast, -mahst, top-muhst] / ˈtɒpˌmæst, -ˌmɑst, ˈtɒp məst /

noun

Nautical.

  1. the mast next above a lower mast, usually formed as a separate spar from the lower mast and used to support the yards or rigging of a topsail or topsails.

topmast British  
/ ˈtɒpməst, ˈtɒpˌmɑːst /

noun

  1. the mast next above a lower mast on a sailing vessel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of topmast

First recorded in 1475–85; top 1 + mast 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The main topmast came down, carrying away the main radio antenna, so that Sparks thought his SOS was not transmitted.

From Time Magazine Archive

Readers of Commodore Hornblower will find it built on the same lines as its predecessors: its topmast in a cloud of fantastic thrills, its keel afloat in Royal Navy lore.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the way to Gloucester the fore topmast of Bluenose buckled.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Dunmore’s mizzenmast, cracked by shot, collapsed, and took with it the main topmast.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

At a certain distance the whole of it is seen; farther off only its hulk or body; at a greater distance still, the topmast alone is visible.

From The Boy's Book of Heroes by Peake, Helena

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.