as in to fall
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily
the tower of blocks toppled even though I bumped into it ever so slightly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of topple
When this writer foolishly forgot her iPods inside the Palais, the 15-minute walk to fetch them — during which I was almost toppled over by wind and accosted by sleet — was enough to make her hole up in her hotel room for the rest of the day.
—
Marta Balaga, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
The building was ready to topple when Joseph Magliocco, head of Michter's Distillery, purchased it with a plan to put a distillery on Main Street.
—Adam Sachs, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026
Oli early Saturday over the deaths of dozens of people during violent protests in September that toppled the government and resulted in new elections.
—Binaj Gurubacharya, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
That will not be achieved with our current focus on military strength and power as well as economic domination — only an uneasy peace, until toppled by resistance and rebellion, as all the great empires have been in the past.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for topple
Marta Balaga, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
The building was ready to topple when Joseph Magliocco, head of Michter's Distillery, purchased it with a plan to put a distillery on Main Street.
—Adam Sachs, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026
Oli early Saturday over the deaths of dozens of people during violent protests in September that toppled the government and resulted in new elections.
—Binaj Gurubacharya, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
That will not be achieved with our current focus on military strength and power as well as economic domination — only an uneasy peace, until toppled by resistance and rebellion, as all the great empires have been in the past.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for topple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for topple
Verb
-
That’s led to a generation of kids being treated as Big Tech guinea pigs and falling student achievement scores.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The follow-up Saturday just fell short of also being special.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hunters exploring in a remote section of the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest stumbled onto a body in the dark, according to investigators in western North Carolina.—
Mark Price
April 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In the clip, the two actors stumble backwards into the glass before falling through and out of the frame.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The unwanted genetic material vanishes without a trace, which is what kept tripping scientists up for decades.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Caroline Holcombe slipped a perfect pass to Audrey Anderson in the box, but her shot attempt bounced off the hands of Sophie Strain, the goalkeeper for Guyer (20-4-1).—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Draghi, who also served as Italy’s prime minister, states that, without radical reform, the European Union is set to slip into economic and geopolitical decline.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tehran has kept a stranglehold over the strait, driving up global oil prices and causing financial markets to tumble.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
More recently, shares of alternative asset managers with the most exposure to enterprise software — which are especially vulnerable to artificial intelligence disruption — have tumbled.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Topple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/topple. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
