on top of

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Preposition

on top of

1. Atop.

   There's a house on top of the mountain.

2. Very close to, in any orientation or in time.

   Living on top of one another in a refugee camp is stressful.

   At peak times, a telephone operator must handle a number of calls, one on top of the next.

3. (idiomatic) In addition to something else.

   […] and on top of all that, I got a puncture!

   • 2018, “Deuteronomy 23”, in Eugene H. Peterson, transl., The Message Deluxe Gift Bible‎, Tyndale House Publishers, →ISBN, page 195:

     No Ammonite or Moabite is to enter the congregation of GOD, even to the tenth generation, nor any of his children, ever. Those nations didn’t treat you with hospitality on your travels out of Egypt, and on top of that they also hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Mesopotamia to curse you.

4. (idiomatic) Fully informed about, and in control of, something; up to speed with.

   I have sorted out the problems and am now on top of the situation.

   You will need to get on top of your nutrition in addition to training for washboard abs.

Translations

atop — see atop

in addition

Arabic: عِلَاوَةً عَلَى (ʕilāwatan ʕalā) Egyptian Arabic: فوق (fooʔ) Finnish: lisäksi (fi), päälle (fi) French: de plus (fr), en plus (fr) Greek: επιπροσθέτως (el) (epiprosthétos) Polish: na dodatek (pl), oprócz (pl) Romanian: pe deasupra Slovak: okrem, na dôvažok

informed and in control, up to speed

Finnish: hallinnassa (fi), vauhdissa German: auf dem Laufenden Slovak: nad

See also

• live on top of one another
• on top
• on top of one's game
• on top of that
• on top of the world
• top it all off