# top oneself

idiom

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

## Meaning

To outdo oneself or do more than one's previous best.

## Examples

- She really topped herself with this delicious cake.
- The chef topped herself this evening by creating a menu that impressed even the toughest food critics.
- Having already achieved international acclaim for her previous novel, the author truly topped herself with this latest masterpiece of psychological suspense.

## Origin

From the British slang verb *top*, used to denote the act of killing, specifically by hanging. The reflexive construction emerged as a colloquialism for suicide.

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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.