top dog
noun
: a person, group, or thing in a position of authority especially through victory in a hard-fought competition
Examples of top dog in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two competitive eaters figured out who was the top dog.
—
Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2024
But now that core has graduated, opening the door for Archbishop Riordan to overtake Serra for No. 1 in the West Catholic Athletic League and De La Salle to reclaim its status as the Bay Area’s top dog.
—Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2024
The 57-year-old Queens native and frequent controversy magnet wants to be top dog.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Aug. 2024
This instability can be neatly exemplified by the Tories’ 12 culture secretaries in 13 years — top dog at the DCMS has not been considered a job-to-have in their Cabinet.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for top dog 
Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2024
But now that core has graduated, opening the door for Archbishop Riordan to overtake Serra for No. 1 in the West Catholic Athletic League and De La Salle to reclaim its status as the Bay Area’s top dog.
—Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2024
The 57-year-old Queens native and frequent controversy magnet wants to be top dog.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Aug. 2024
This instability can be neatly exemplified by the Tories’ 12 culture secretaries in 13 years — top dog at the DCMS has not been considered a job-to-have in their Cabinet.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for top dog
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'top dog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Top dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top%20dog. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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