: extremely or excessively flamboyant or outrageous
an over-the-top performance

Examples of over-the-top in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In turn, Vegas provides a playground where the average person and the hedonist can engage in the sublime, the superb and the spectacularly over-the-top. Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 Analysts say repeating over-the-top claims about immigrants at rallies may indicate the former president has felt the need to escalate his rhetoric due to improvements at the border. Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 The Trump campaign had come back to Butler to stage its own retaliation, an over-the-top reminder that its candidate was defiant in the face of death, and possibly preordained for the Presidency. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 Such over-the-top pieces aren’t for wallflowers, or even the typical watch enthusiast, but there’s no denying the sophistication of their calibers. Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for over-the-top 

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of over-the-top was in 1980

Dictionary Entries Near over-the-top

Cite this Entry

“Over-the-top.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/over-the-top. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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