# top dollar

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/top-dollar
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The maximum amount of money that an item, service, or worker is worth; a very high price.

## Examples

- You have to pay top dollar for high quality furniture.
- Because the hotel is located right in the city center, you should expect to pay top dollar for a room.
- The collector was willing to pay top dollar for the rare manuscript, knowing that such a unique piece of history would likely never appear at auction again.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.