# top-p

CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/top-p
Updated: 2026-09-28

## Definition

a text generation setting that picks words only from the smallest group whose combined probability reaches a chosen cutoff.

For teachers: a dynamic token sampling strategy (nucleus sampling) that restricts generation to the smallest subset of candidate tokens whose cumulative probability exceeds threshold p.

## Examples

- Using a top-p setting of zero point nine cuts off the least likely words from being chosen.
- Combining temperature scaling with top-p sampling produces fluent responses while eliminating nonsensical vocabulary.
- Unlike fixed-k filtering, top-p sampling dynamically adapts the candidate pool size according to the flatness of the underlying next-token distribution.

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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.