English Reference
Verb

topple

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈtɑpəɫ/ UK /tˈɒpəl/ top·ple UK spelling toppled, topples

v.to fall over or to knock someone or something down. You can also use it to describe a leader or government losing power suddenly.

v.to fall over or to cause something to fall over; to overthrow a person in power or a government. Transitive when referring to an object or a leader; intransitive when describing the act of falling.


SIMPLE

The heavy wind toppled the old fence.

CONTEXTUAL

The scandal led to the sudden topple of the prime minister and his entire cabinet.

COMPLEX

While the physical structure of the bridge remained intact, the political system toppled overnight as the public lost faith in the ruling party's ability to manage the crisis.

There are decades in which nothing happens, and weeks in which decades happen, and those weeks tend to result in leaders being toppled.

The Guardian· 7 Aug 2026

From top + -le (frequentative verb suffix).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated