bottom
bottom — verb
- bottompresent simple I / you / we / they
- bottoms3rd person singular
- bottoming-ing form
- bottomedpast simple
1. to come down to the lowest place or level, especially after a period of falling.
to come down to the lowest place or level, especially after a period of falling.
By midnight, the fishing boat bottomed on a sandbar near the island.
bottom on + sandbar/shallow ground
At a gas station in Tainan, oil prices bottomed in January.
prices bottom + time expression
On the trading floor, brokers said the market bottomed after lunch.
figurative use with market as subject
In the shallow bay, the canoe bottomed before Omar could turn.
After weeks of losses, team spirit bottomed before the final game.
- bottom on a sandbar
- prices bottom
- the market bottoms
- bottom in June
- confidence bottoms
- hit bottom
common and slightly more informal for reaching the lowest level
- level off
focuses on a fall stopping, not always on the very lowest point
- stabilize
more formal; means become steady after earlier change
- run aground
used specifically for boats touching the ground below the water
Grammar Patterns
bottom + on/in + shallow ground
prices/market/confidence bottom + time expression
Usage Note
Usually used without an object. In literal use, the subject is often a boat moving through shallow water; in figurative use, the subject is commonly a price, market, or other level after a long fall.
Common Mistakes
bottom — noun
- bottomsingular
- bottomsplural
1. the part of an object, place, or container that is below all the other parts.
the part of an object, place, or container that is below all the other parts.
A gold ring lay at the bottom of the swimming pool.
pattern: at the bottom of + place
Soup burned at the bottom of the pan while Rohan answered the phone.
Small fish hid near the bottom of the clear river.
At the bottom of the page, Greta found the hotel address.
pattern: the bottom of + page
- the bottom of the pool
- the bottom of the pan
- the bottom of the page
- at the bottom of the bag
- top
the highest part, not the lowest
Grammar Patterns
the bottom of + noun
at the bottom of + noun
Usage Note
Usually appears with 'of' to name the thing whose lowest part you mean. Distinguish from sense 3, where 'bottom' points to the far end of a place rather than its lowest level.
Common Mistakes
2. the lower piece in a two-part outfit, such as the skirt, shorts, or trousers.
the lower piece in a two-part outfit, such as the skirt, shorts, or trousers.
Hana bought the red jacket, but the matching bottom was sold out.
collocation: matching bottom
The ski team wore black bottoms and bright orange tops.
pairing: bottoms and tops
For gym class, students may choose shorts or track bottoms.
The shop sells each bikini bottom separately from the top.
pattern: bottom ... from the top
- matching bottom
- bikini bottom
- track bottoms
- tops and bottoms
- lower half
descriptive phrase for the lower piece of a two-part outfit
- lower piece
less common; used when the outfit comes in matching parts
- top
the upper piece of the same outfit
Grammar Patterns
matching bottom
top and bottom(s)
Usage Note
Common in shops, fashion writing, and product labels. The plural 'bottoms' is especially frequent when talking about trousers, track wear, or swimwear.
Common Mistakes
3. the end of a place that is farthest away from where you are, start, or live.
the end of a place that is farthest away from where you are, start, or live.
Grandpa keeps his tools in the shed at the bottom of the garden.
pattern: at the bottom of + outdoor place
A candle flickered at the bottom of the long tunnel.
The bakery at the bottom of our street opens before sunrise.
collocation: the bottom of our street
A blue tent stood at the bottom of the field near the trees.
- the bottom of the garden
- the bottom of the street
- the bottom of the tunnel
- the bottom of the field
- front
the end nearest the entrance or starting point
Grammar Patterns
at the bottom of + place
Usage Note
Common with gardens, streets, fields, and tunnels, where you imagine moving along a space. Distinguish from sense 1 when you mean distance from a starting point rather than height.
4. your backside; the fleshy area behind your legs that supports you when you sit.
your backside; the fleshy area behind your legs that supports you when you sit.
The child slid down the hill on his bottom.
phrase: on his bottom
After the long bike ride, Bao's bottom felt sore.
The nurse checked the baby's bottom and changed his diaper.
Sit on your bottom and tie both shoes again.
instructional use: sit on your bottom
- on your bottom
- sore bottom
- baby's bottom
- land on your bottom
Grammar Patterns
on your bottom
Usage Note
A polite everyday word, especially common when speaking to children. It is less direct than 'butt' and less medical than 'buttocks'.
5. the side underneath something, or the lower part that supports it.
the side underneath something, or the lower part that supports it.
Aiko wrote her phone number on the bottom of the wooden box.
on the bottom of + object
Mud stuck to the bottom of my boots after the farm walk.
The label was fixed to the bottom of the glass jar.
passive: fixed to the bottom of
Four small wheels were screwed onto the bottom of the toy cart.
The lamp's wide bottom kept it steady on the table.
supporting base of an object
- bottom of the box
- bottom of the boots
- bottom of the jar
- wide bottom
- underside
focuses on the part facing down, especially when it is not easy to see.
- base
often emphasizes the part that keeps something standing.
- lower side
a plain description, less fixed than 'underside'.
- top
the highest or upper part of the same object.
- upper side
the side that faces up rather than down.
Grammar Patterns
the bottom of + object
on the bottom of + object
Usage Note
Often follows 'of' to name the part underneath an object. When it means the supporting base, it is common with furniture and things that stand on a surface.
Common Mistakes
6. the lowest inside surface of a container, or the ground under water.
the lowest inside surface of a container, or the ground under water.
A coin lay at the bottom of the bucket after the wash.
at the bottom of + container
Hana found two blue beads at the bottom of her school bag.
Sea grass covered the bottom of the clear bay.
The child could see tiles on the bottom of the pool.
on the bottom of + pool
At low tide, dark rocks showed on the river bottom.
river bottom for ground under water
- bottom of the bag
- bottom of the bucket
- bottom of the pool
- river bottom
- top
the highest inside part or surface.
Grammar Patterns
at the bottom of + container
on the bottom of + pool/sea/river
Usage Note
Usually appears in phrases like 'at the bottom of the bottle' or 'on the bottom of the pool'. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense is for the lowest inside surface or the ground below water, not the outside underside.
Common Mistakes
7. the position furthest down in a ranking, contest, or social order.
the position furthest down in a ranking, contest, or social order.
After six losses, the club fell to the bottom of the league.
bottom of the league
Noa started at the bottom of the class but improved later.
Workers at the bottom of the company had no private offices.
bottom of + social hierarchy
The runner dropped to the bottom of the race after twisting an ankle.
drop to the bottom
At the bottom of the list, Omar's name was easy to miss.
at the bottom of + list
- bottom of the league
- bottom of the class
- bottom of the company
- bottom of the list
- last place
the clearest synonym for races, games, and lists.
- lowest rank
more formal and common in wider social or work settings.
- foot
used especially in British sports tables, as in 'the foot of the table'.
Grammar Patterns
at the bottom of + ranking
drop to the bottom
Usage Note
Often follows 'of' after words for ranking such as 'league', 'list', and 'class'. In social contexts, it can refer to people with the least power or status.
Common Mistakes
8. the part of a baseball inning when the team batting second in that inning tries
the part of a baseball inning when the team batting second in that inning tries to score.
The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth.
pattern: in the bottom of the ninth
By the bottom of the sixth, rain had started to fall.
The bottom of the eighth began with a double to left field.
pattern: the bottom of the + inning number
A walk-off hit ended the game in the bottom of the tenth.
- the bottom of the ninth
- the bottom of the sixth
- the bottom of the inning
- bottom half of the inning
- bottom half
the fuller everyday baseball expression
- home half
less common; stresses that the home team is batting
- last half
rule-book style wording; less common in everyday sports talk
- top half
the visiting team's turn to bat
Grammar Patterns
the bottom of the + inning number
in the bottom of the + inning number
Usage Note
Restricted to baseball. It nearly always appears with an inning number, and it specifically names the home team's turn to hit.
Common Mistakes
9. the point thirty minutes after an exact hour.
the point thirty minutes after an exact hour.
The radio station gives weather updates at the bottom of the hour.
fixed phrase: at the bottom of the hour
The producer saved the traffic report for the bottom of the hour.
This news channel repeats the headlines at the bottom of the hour.
The host promised to read callers' names at the bottom of the hour.
broadcast use: scheduled update time
- at the bottom of the hour
- bottom-of-the-hour update
- bottom-of-the-hour news
- half past
the standard everyday way to say the same time point
- on the half hour
common in schedules and announcements
- top of the hour
the exact hour, not thirty minutes past
Grammar Patterns
at the bottom of the hour
Usage Note
Mostly occurs in the fixed phrase 'at the bottom of the hour'. It means thirty minutes past an hour, not the exact hour; compare with 'at the top of the hour'.
Common Mistakes
at bottom
idiomThis phrase means what someone or something is really like, especially when it is different from how they seem.
At bottom, he is a kind person despite his rough manner.
Her decision was at bottom motivated by fear, not anger.
This phrase describes being in a high or low position within an organization or society.
After years of hard work, she finally reached the top of the heap.
New employees often start at the bottom of the heap.
This phrase means to be the real cause of something, usually something bad.
Greed lies at the bottom of many financial scandals.
What is at the bottom of his sudden change in behavior?
This phrase means that people suddenly stop buying or using products from a particular industry, causing it to fail.
The bottom fell out of the housing market in 2008.
When the bottom dropped out, many small businesses closed.
This phrase means being in the least or most important position in a group.
Interns often find themselves at the bottom of the pile.
After winning the championship, their team was top of the pile.
bottoms up!
idiomThis phrase is used as a cheerful toast when drinking alcohol, meaning to finish your drink.
He raised his glass and said, "Bottoms up!"
At the party, everyone shouted "Bottoms up!" before drinking.
This phrase means doing something with sincere and deep emotion.
She thanked her parents from the bottom of her heart.
His apology came from the heart and seemed genuine.
from top to bottom
idiomThis phrase means thoroughly covering every part of a place or thing.
We searched the house from top to bottom for the keys.
The car was cleaned from top to bottom before the sale.
This phrase means to discover the true cause of something, especially a problem.
The detective worked hard to get to the bottom of the mystery.
We need to get to the bottom of why the machine keeps failing.
race to the bottom
idiomThis phrase describes a situation where companies or countries compete to produce goods as cheaply as possible, often by lowering wages and worker rights.
The global race to the bottom hurts workers in developing countries.
To avoid a race to the bottom, governments must enforce labor laws.
This phrase means having to use the least desirable people or things because the best ones are already taken.
With no good candidates left, the company was scraping the barrel.
For this project, we really scraped the bottom of the barrel for ideas.
touch bottom
idiomThis phrase means to reach the lowest point or the ground under water.
When swimming, he could not touch bottom in the deep end.
After the scandal, her career touched bottom and then slowly recovered.
bottom — adjective
- bottompositive
- more bottomcomparative
- most bottomsuperlative
1. used for the part, line, or rank that is furthest down in something, or that com
used for the part, line, or rank that is furthest down in something, or that comes last in a group.
Ravi found the passport in the bottom drawer beside the old keys.
bottom + drawer for lowest part
Please sign your name on the bottom line of the green form.
bottom line for physical position
After six losses, the Tigers were the bottom team in the league.
bottom team for lowest rank
Two clean bowls were stacked on the bottom shelf near the sink.
Our class photo appeared in the bottom row of the school magazine.
bottom row in a visual layout
- bottom drawer
- bottom shelf
- bottom row
- bottom line
- bottom team
Grammar Patterns
bottom + noun
bottom row / line / shelf / team
Usage Note
Usually appears before a noun, especially with words for parts of a space or an ordered list. Distinguish it from the noun in patterns like 'at the bottom of the box', where the word names the part itself.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- bottomlessadjectiveC1
- bottommostadjectiveC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Use 'bottom' as the general word for the lowest part of almost anything: a bag, a page, a hill, or a swimming pool. 'Base' is narrower and stresses support, so it fits best when the lower part holds the rest up, as in the base of a lamp or statue. 'Floor' usually means a flat lower surface that people stand on, or the inside lower surface of a room or container. 'Foot' is common for the lowest end of something tall, especially a hill, mountain, or wall. 'Underside' points to the face turned downward and often not easily seen. So you find a coin at the bottom of a bucket, a crack in the base of a vase, dust on the floor, a cafe at the foot of a hill, and a label on the underside of a box.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- right at the bottom
- near the bottom
- down at the bottom
Phrases
- the bottom of
- at the bottom of
- on the bottom of
Etymology
The noun goes back to Old English 'botm', a word for ground, foundation, or the lowest part of something. It belongs to an old Germanic family that also produced Dutch 'bodem' and German 'Boden', both linked to the idea of ground or soil. English then widened the noun from a physical lower part to places in a ranking, the lower piece of clothing, and the body part you sit on. The verb developed later from the noun and came to mean reaching the lowest point, while the adjective grew from using the noun before another noun.