bottom

noun

/ˈbɒtəm/

/ˈbɑːtəm/

Idioms

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lowest part

[countable, usually singular] the lowest part of something

the bottom of the screen/stairs/hill
at the bottom of something Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
at the bottom The book I want is right at the bottom (= of the pile).
The wind blew through gaps at the top and bottom of the door.
farmers who lived in the valley bottoms

opposite top

Synonyms bottombottom

base
foundation
foot

These are all words for the lowest part of something.

bottom
[usually sing.] the lowest part of something:
- Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
- I waited for them at the bottom of the hill.
base
[usually sing.] the lowest part of something, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands:
- The lamp has a heavy base.
foundation
[usually pl.] a layer of stone, concrete, etc. that forms the solid underground base of a building:
- to lay the foundations of the new school
foot
[sing.] the lowest part of something:
- At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him.

bottom or foot?Foot is used to talk about a limited number of things: it is used most often with tree, hill/mountain, steps/stairs and page. Bottom can be used to talk about a much wider range of things, including those mentioned above for foot. Foot is generally used in more literary contexts.Patterns

at/near/towards the bottom/base/foot of something
on the bottom/base of something
(a) firm/solid/strong base/foundation(s)

Extra Examples

He reached the bottom of the steps in no time.
We rode along the bottom of the valley.
We walked to the bottom of the hill.
She was waiting near the bottom of the stairs.
There are subtitles along the bottom of the screen.
It took them six hours to reach the bottom of the mountain.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

false

verb + bottom

arrive at
fall to
get to
…

bottom + noun

end
half

preposition

along the bottom
at the bottom
from the bottom
…

See full entry

[countable, usually singular] the part of something that faces downwards and is not usually seen

The bottom of the pan was all sticky.
on the bottom of something The ingredients are listed on the bottom of the box

Extra Examples

The manufacturer's name is on the bottom of the plate.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

false

verb + bottom

arrive at
fall to
get to
…

bottom + noun

end
half

preposition

along the bottom
at the bottom
from the bottom
…

See full entry

of container

[countable, usually singular] the lowest surface on the inside of a container

Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper.
at the bottom of something I found some coins at the bottom of my bag.

Extra Examples

a case with a false bottom
strange sounds from the bottom of the well
Allow the tea leaves to settle to the bottom of the cup.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

false

verb + bottom

arrive at
fall to
get to
…

bottom + noun

end
half

preposition

along the bottom
at the bottom
from the bottom
…

See full entry

of lake/sea/pool

[singular] the ground below the water in a lake, the sea, a swimming pool, etc.

I feel safe as long as I can touch the bottom.
on the bottom (of something) He dived in and hit his head on the bottom.
to the bottom (of something) The boat sank to the bottom of the sea.

Extra Examples

She could only just touch the bottom.
These fish spend most of their lives on the river bottom.

Topics Geographya2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

false

verb + bottom

arrive at
fall to
get to
…

bottom + noun

end
half

preposition

along the bottom
at the bottom
from the bottom
…

See full entry

lowest position

[singular] the lowest position in a class, on a list, etc.; a person, team, etc. that is in this position

When the list came out, my name was near the bottom.
I was always bottom of the class in math.
at the bottom of something a battle between the teams at the bottom of the league
at the bottom You have to be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up.

Extra Examples

He's near the bottom of the class.
He started at the bottom and worked his way up through the company.
Things are much worse at the bottom of the educational ladder.
In terms of economic performance, we are near the bottom of the table.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + bottom

start at
work up from

preposition

at the bottom
near the bottom
towards/toward the bottom
…

See full entry

opposite top

part of body

[countable] (especially British English) the part of the body that you sit on

We sat on our bottoms on the damp grass.

synonym backside, behindTopics Bodyb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

bare

verb + bottom

slap
smack
spank
…

See full entry

clothing

[countable, usually plural] the lower part of a set of clothes that consists of two pieces

a pair of pyjama/tracksuit bottoms
a bikini bottom

compare top

end of something

[singular] (especially British English) the part of something that is furthest from you, your house, etc.

at the bottom of something There was a stream at the bottom of the garden.
I went to the school at the bottom of our street.

of ship

[countable] the lower part of a ship that is below the surface of the water synonym hullTopics Transport by waterb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

false

verb + bottom

arrive at
fall to
get to
…

bottom + noun

end
half

preposition

along the bottom
at the bottom
from the bottom
…

See full entry

-bottomed

(in adjectives) having the type of bottom mentioned

a flat-bottomed boat

Word OriginOld English botm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bodem ‘bottom, ground’ and German Boden ‘ground, earth’.

Idioms

at bottom

used to say what somebody/something is really like
- Their offer to help was at bottom self-centred.

at the top/bottom of the heap

high up/low down in the structure of an organization or a society
- These workers are at the bottom of the economic heap.

be/lie at the bottom of something

to be the original cause of something, especially something unpleasant
- We need to find out what lies at the bottom of these fears.
- I'd love to know what lies at the bottom of all this.
Topics Change, cause and effectc2

the bottom drops/falls out (of something)

people stop buying or using the products of a particular industry
- The bottom has fallen out of the travel market.
Topics Moneyc2

(at the) bottom/top of the pile

in the least/most important position in a group of people or things
- It’s been 20 years since a British player was top of the pile.
- The government is doing little to help those on the bottom of the social pile.

bottoms up!

(informal) used to express good wishes when drinking alcohol, or to tell somebody to finish their drink

from the (bottom of your) heart

in a way that is sincere
- I beg you, from the bottom of my heart, to spare his life.
- It was clearly an offer that came from the heart.
- I could tell he spoke from the heart.

from top to bottom

going to every part of a place in a very careful way
- We cleaned the house from top to bottom.

get to the bottom of something

to find out the real cause of something, especially something unpleasant
- I won’t rest until I’ve got to the bottom of this!
- The only way to get to the bottom of it is to confront the chairman.

race to the bottom (economics)

a situation in which companies and countries compete with each other to produce goods as cheaply as possible by paying low wages and giving workers poor conditions and few rights
- They are caught in the cheap food syndrome, the race to the bottom, the chase for the lowest cost of production globally.

scrape (the bottom of) the barrel

(disapproving) to have to use things or people that are not the best or most suitable because the ones that were the best or most suitable are no longer available

touch bottom

to reach the ground at the bottom of an area of water
- I put my feet down and touched bottom.
to reach the worst possible state or condition
- Her career really touched bottom with that movie.