bottom
1 of 3noun
bot·tom ˈbä-təm 
1
a
: the underside of something
at the bottom of the box
a cut on the bottom of her foot
The vase is signed on the bottom.
b
: a surface (such as the seat of a chair) designed to support something resting on it —used figuratively in phrases like the bottom dropped out to describe a sudden collapse or downturn
lost millions when the bottom dropped out of the stock market
c
: buttocks, rump
a baby with a rash on his bottom
2
: the surface on which a body of water lies
sank to the bottom of the ocean
3
nautical
a
: the part of a ship's hull lying below the water
b
: boat, ship
cargo … carried by foreign bottoms
Virginia A. Oakes
Virginia A. Oakes4
a
: the lowest part or place
the bottom of the page
stood at the bottom of the stairs
b
: the remotest or inmost point
sail to the bottom of the bay
c
: the lowest or last place in rank or position
The CEO started at the bottom and worked her way up.
graduated at the bottom of the class
the bottom of the pay scale
d
clothing : the part of a garment worn on the lower part of the body
white tops and navy blue bottoms
a bikini bottom
especially : the pants of pajamas —usually used in plural
e
baseball : the last half of an inning
the bottom of the ninth
f
music : the bass or baritone instruments of a band
5
geography : bottomland —usually used in plural
the Mississippi river bottoms
6
: basis, source
trying to get to the bottom of these rumors
7
: capacity (as of a horse) to endure strain
a breed of dogs outstanding for bottom
8
textiles : a foundation color applied to fibers before dyeing
9
physics : a fundamental quark that accounts for the existence and lifetime of upsilon particles and has an electric charge of −¹/₃ and a measured energy of approximately 5 GeV
also : the flavor (see flavor entry 1 sense 4b) characterizing this particle
bottomed
ˈbä-təmd
adjective bottom
2 of 3verb
bottomed; bottoming; bottoms
transitive verb
1
: to furnish (something, such as a chair) with a bottom
2
: to provide a foundation for
men who wanted to bottom the dreams of the Romantics Bonamy Dobrée
Bonamy Dobrée3
: to bring to the bottom
bottomed the submarine on the ocean floor
4
: to find the basis or source of (something, such as a rumor) : to get to the bottom (see bottom entry 1 sense 6) of
The mystery hasn't been bottomed.
intransitive verb
1
: to become based or grounded
find on what foundation any proposition bottoms John Locke
John Locke2
: to reach the bottom
bottoming on the sea floor
3
: to reach a point where a decline is halted or reversed —usually used with out
The team bottomed out in last place.
bottomer noun
bottom
3 of 3adjective
1
: of, relating to, or situated at the bottom (see bottom entry 1)
bottom rock
2
: frequenting the lowest part or place : frequenting the bottom
bottom fish
Synonyms
Noun
- underbelly
- underbody
- underpart
- underside
- undersurface
Adjective
- bottommost
- low
- lowermost
- nethermost
- rock-bottom
- undermost
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun We sailed to the bottom of the bay. the bottom of the garden The poor baby has a rash all over his little bottom. The company's new CEO started at the bottom and worked her way up. Why do I always find myself rooting for the team at the bottom of the league? at the bottom of the pay scale Adjective the bottom rung of the ladder Somebody's fingerprints are all along the bottom edge of the photograph. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2022 From top right to bottom left, Tor Kjetil Edland, Anna Emilie Groth, Karete Jacobsen Meland, and Karete's daughter Ida photographed in Edland's home in Oslo, Norway. WIRED, 2 Sep. 2022 First, give the mower a good cleaning from top to bottom. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2022 From top to bottom there are a lot of players in our program who can see significant game time and help us. Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2022 The good Top-to-bottom visual refresh means no stone was left unturned—or untouched by an amazing new lighting-and-shadow system. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 31 Aug. 2022 The top-to-bottom talent at Oklahoma, where Riley was hired as a coordinator in 2015, opened more doors. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 Last week Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, told the agency’s 11,000 employees the CDC needed a top-to-bottom rethinking. David Axe, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2022 This season, the Browns have arguably the best running back room in the NFL from top to bottom, and that will help during Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension absence. cleveland, 21 Aug. 2022 A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2022 The stock market likely will bottom before a recession has ended and, possibly, before one is officially declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 24 July 2022 Low temperatures bottom out again in the upper 60s to mid-70s (downtown). A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 Typically, buyers wait for markets to bottom out before starting their bargain hunting, but some like Alphabet and Amazon are moving on discounted stocks early in this cycle. Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, 26 July 2022 All of this is to say that there’s little reason to expect Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to bottom out on the third go-around. Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 Cooler-than-average low temperatures may bottom out in the 50s regionwide, even trying to stay below 60 degrees downtown. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 19 June 2022 That’s when temperatures will bottom out in the upper 20s to mid-30s. Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2022 Tonight: Much of the night is in the 80s before predawn low temperatures bottom out in the low to mid-70s. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Sep. 2022 Javier Báez, a two-time All-Star, put the Detroit Tigers in front with a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th inning, but in the bottom half of the extra inning, the shortstop gave away his team's momentum with his MLB-leading 23rd error. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2022 Covid-era subventions, for example, transformed the financial profile of America, nearly doubling the net worth for the bottom half of American households. Nicholas Eberstadt, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Loewe swimsuit has a pattern of bright flames on the bottom half that reach up to the aquamarine bodice. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2022 Margot hit a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th and prevented a run by tracking down a flyball to deep center in the bottom half, leading Tampa Bay past the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday night. Alanis Thames, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2022 To do this: Open your Instagram app, and tap the profile picture icon in the bottom-right corner. Toby Grey, BGR, 29 Aug. 2022 Roberta told Posey that the books were in the bottom-right side of the gray wall unit in the house. WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022 But for Tehran, the bottom-line incentive to a deal is sanctions relief. Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Noun
Still, as Webb was known for his nasty sinker that confounded hitters from top to bottom, the Diamondbacks didn’t see their ace falling behind. Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2022 From top right to bottom left, Tor Kjetil Edland, Anna Emilie Groth, Karete Jacobsen Meland, and Karete's daughter Ida photographed in Edland's home in Oslo, Norway. WIRED, 2 Sep. 2022 First, give the mower a good cleaning from top to bottom. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2022 From top to bottom there are a lot of players in our program who can see significant game time and help us. Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2022 The good Top-to-bottom visual refresh means no stone was left unturned—or untouched by an amazing new lighting-and-shadow system. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 31 Aug. 2022 The top-to-bottom talent at Oklahoma, where Riley was hired as a coordinator in 2015, opened more doors. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 Last week Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, told the agency’s 11,000 employees the CDC needed a top-to-bottom rethinking. David Axe, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2022 This season, the Browns have arguably the best running back room in the NFL from top to bottom, and that will help during Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension absence. cleveland, 21 Aug. 2022 Verb
Low temperatures bottom out near 70 to the mid-70s (downtown). A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2022 The stock market likely will bottom before a recession has ended and, possibly, before one is officially declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 24 July 2022 Low temperatures bottom out again in the upper 60s to mid-70s (downtown). A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 Typically, buyers wait for markets to bottom out before starting their bargain hunting, but some like Alphabet and Amazon are moving on discounted stocks early in this cycle. Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, 26 July 2022 All of this is to say that there’s little reason to expect Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to bottom out on the third go-around. Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 Cooler-than-average low temperatures may bottom out in the 50s regionwide, even trying to stay below 60 degrees downtown. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 19 June 2022 That’s when temperatures will bottom out in the upper 20s to mid-30s. Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2022 Tonight: Much of the night is in the 80s before predawn low temperatures bottom out in the low to mid-70s. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 Adjective
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a run-scoring single off Trevor Megill (3-3) leading off the bottom half to score the automatic runner. San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Sep. 2022 Javier Báez, a two-time All-Star, put the Detroit Tigers in front with a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th inning, but in the bottom half of the extra inning, the shortstop gave away his team's momentum with his MLB-leading 23rd error. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2022 Covid-era subventions, for example, transformed the financial profile of America, nearly doubling the net worth for the bottom half of American households. Nicholas Eberstadt, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Loewe swimsuit has a pattern of bright flames on the bottom half that reach up to the aquamarine bodice. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2022 Margot hit a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th and prevented a run by tracking down a flyball to deep center in the bottom half, leading Tampa Bay past the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday night. Alanis Thames, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2022 To do this: Open your Instagram app, and tap the profile picture icon in the bottom-right corner. Toby Grey, BGR, 29 Aug. 2022 Roberta told Posey that the books were in the bottom-right side of the gray wall unit in the house. WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022 But for Tehran, the bottom-line incentive to a deal is sanctions relief. Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English botme, botom, bothom, going back to Old English botm, *boðm, going back to Germanic *butma- (whence, with varying dental consonants, Old Saxon bođom "ground, bottom," Old High German bodam, Old Norse botn), going back to Indo-European *bhudh-mḗn, *bhudh-mn-ós, whence also Greek pythmḗn "bottom, ground, base," Sanskrit budhná- and (with metathesis of stop and nasal) Latin fundus "bottom, base," Middle Irish bonn "sole of the foot"
Verb
derivative of bottom entry 1
Adjective
from attributive use of bottom entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1544, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing bottom
Kids Definition
bottom
noun
bot·tom ˈbä-təm
1
: the lowest part of something
the bottom of the stairs
the bottom of the bowl
2
: the under surface of something
There's gum on the bottom of my shoe.
3
: a supporting surface or part : base
chair bottoms
4
: the lowest or worst level or position
She graduated at the bottom of her class.
5
: clothing that covers the lower part of the body
pajama bottoms
6
: the bed of a body of water
the lake bottom
7
: low land along a river
Mississippi River bottoms
8
: the most basic part
Let's get to the bottom of the problem.
9
: the second half of an inning of baseball
bottoms
noun
1
as in undersides
the side or part facing downward from something that side of the shelf is supposed to be the bottom, so turn it over before you assemble the bookcase Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- undersides
- feet
- underbodies
- undersurfaces
- soles
- toes
- floors
- bellies
- seats
- underparts
- foot
- underbellies
- grounds
- underpinnings
- undercarriages
- bases
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tops
- faces
- roofs
- peaks
- heights
- crests
- apices
- crowns
- pinnacles
- apexes
- summits
- climaxes
- meridians
- heads
- culminations
- points
- tips
- cusps
- acmes
- high-water marks
- zeniths
- tip-tops
2
as in floors
the surface upon which a body of water lies my missing fishing pole is probably lying on the bottom of the lake Synonyms & Similar Words
- floors
- beds
- ground
- riverbeds
- bases
- foundations
- basements
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- surfaces
3
as in feet
the lowest part, place, or point sliding all the way to the bottom of the snow-covered slope Synonyms & Similar Words
- feet
- foot
- basements
- foundations
- beds
- grounds
- bases
- rock bottoms
- seats
- nadirs
- bedrocks
- bases
- underpinnings
- keystones
- groundworks
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tops
- heads
- vertices
- vertexes
- peaks
- heights
- crests
- apices
- tips
- pinnacles
- apexes
- summits
- climaxes
- meridians
- culminations
- zeniths
- acmes
- tip-tops
4
as in cheeks
the part of the body upon which someone sits the baby fell backwards onto her bottom Synonyms & Similar Words
- cheeks
- bums
- tails
- rumps
- seats
- backsides
- behinds
- buttocks
- buns
- butts
- breeches
- booties
- heinies
- tushes
- fannies
- posteriors
- rears
- derrieres
- rear ends
- haunches
- derrières
- nates
- cabooses
- tail ends
- duffs
- sterns
- hams
- beams
- cans
- hunkers
- fundaments
- keisters
- keesters
- moons
5
as in boats
a small buoyant structure for travel on water the cargo will be carried by a local bottom Synonyms & Similar Words
- boats
- canoes
- vessels
- kayaks
- yachts
- rafts
- crafts
- cutters
- watercrafts
- taxis
- barges
- lifeboats
- schooners
- shells
- ferries
- cruisers
- outriggers
- keels
- dories
- pontoons
- skiffs
- tubs
- taxies
- dinks
- sailboats
- scows
- sculls
- dinghies
- rowboats
- punts
- pinnaces
- flatboats
- tugs
- pirogues
- motorboats
- dugouts
- coracles
- prams
- curraghs
- lighters
- bateaux
- surfboats
- ketches
- wherries
- outboards
- inboards
- paddleboats
- tender
- catboats
- cobles
- piraguas
- batteaux
- catamarans
- bankers
- whaleboats
- hookers
- scallopers
- water taxis
- luggers
- garveys
- towboats
- yawls
- sampans
- johnboats
- powerboats
- gigs
- draggers
- whalers
- shallops
- hoys
- riverboats
- rowing boats
- umiaks
- bumboats
- caïques
- longboats
- dhows
- currachs
- keelboats
- narrow boats
- tugboats
- gillnetters
- gondolas
- auxiliaries
- jolly boats
- ferryboats
- shrimpers
- houseboats
- seiners
- hydroplanes
- cockleshells
- trawlers
- workboats
- assault boats
- airboats
- torpedo boats
- launches
- hovercrafts
- hydrofoils
- air-cushion vehicles
- PT boats
6
as in depths
the lowest point or level when profits hit bottom the company was forced to declare bankruptcy Synonyms & Similar Words
- depths
- rock bottoms
- pits
- armpits
- abysses
- bedrocks
- zeroes
- zeros
- nadirs
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tops
- heads
- peaks
- heights
- crowns
- apices
- pinnacles
- flowers
- apexes
- summits
- climaxes
- meridians
- blooms
- culminations
- glories
- flood tides
- zeniths
- acmes
- highs
- heydays
- roofs
- caps
- high-water marks
- tip-tops
- crests
- ceilings
- crescendos
- crescendi
- crescendoes
7
as in foundations
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests the bottom of his thesis is the assumption that people are fundamentally good Synonyms & Similar Words
- foundations
- bases
- bases
- cornerstones
- bedrocks
- grounds
- roots
- underpinnings
- footings
- warps
- keystones
- shores
- beds
- warp and woofs
- premises
- cores
- hearts
- centers
- backbones
- kernels
- braces
- justifications
- theses
- mounts
- anchorages
- substrata
- theories
- props
- bulwarks
- supports
- substructures
- infrastructures
- essences
- stays
- assumptions
- buttresses
- groundworks
- hubs
- seats
- nuclei
- frameworks
- focuses
- presumptions
- warrants
- rationales
- eyes
- presuppositions
- foci
- souls
- nucleuses
- suppositions
- premisses
- touchstones
- quintessences