Bottom I Part Extra Examples Top Lowest Reach

• the bottom of the screen/stairs/hill
• footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
• 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.

bottom

1. the lowest part of something
• OPPOSITE top
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/top_2
• the bottom of the screen/stairs/hill
• Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
• 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

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.
2. the part of something that faces downwards and is not usually seen
• The bottom of the pan was all sticky.
• The ingredients are listed on the bottom of the box

Extra Examples

• The manufacturer's name is on the bottom of the plate.
3. the lowest surface on the inside of a container
• Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper.
• 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.
4. 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.
• He dived in and hit his head on the bottom.
• 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.
5. 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.
• a battle between the teams at the bottom of the league
• 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.
6. the part of the body that you sit on
• SYNONYM backside
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/backside
• We sat on our bottoms on the damp grass.
7. the lower part of a set of clothes that consists of two pieces
• COMPARE top
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/top_2
• a pair of pyjama/tracksuit bottoms
• a bikini bottom
8. the part of something that is furthest from you, your house, etc.
• There was a stream at the bottom of the garden.
• I went to the school at the bottom of our street.
9. the lower part of a ship that is below the surface of the water
• SYNONYM hull
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hull_2
10. having the type of bottom mentioned
• a flat-bottomed boat
11. used to say what somebody/something is really like
• Their offer to help was at bottom self-centred.
12. high up/low down in the structure of an organization or a society
• These workers are at the bottom of the economic heap.
13. 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.
14. people stop buying or using the products of a particular industry
• The bottom has fallen out of the travel market.
15. 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.
16. used to express good wishes when drinking alcohol, or to tell somebody to finish their drink
17. 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.
18. going to every part of a place in a very careful way
• We cleaned the house from top to bottom.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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
22. to reach the ground at the bottom of an area of water
• I put my feet down and touched bottom.
23. to reach the worst possible state or condition
• Her career really touched bottom with that movie.

Word Origin

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