What does "topline" mean?

The upper curvature of a horse's or dog's withers, back, and loin.

What is a synonym for "topline"?

Common synonyms include: bluf, bottom line, bottom-line, tldr, top billing.

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The upper curvature of a horse's or dog's withers, back, and loin.
"When viewing the horse in profile, attention must be paid to the curvature and proportions of the topline."
2
Top billing. attributive, often
"In recent weeks Cosby has, perhaps more than any other topline entertainer of the moment, been both at the pinnacle and at the crossroads."
3
The first line, the topmost-ranking line; the most important thing. attributive, often
"Near-synonyms: (in attributive uses) TLDR, BLUF, bottom-line, bottom line"
4
The edge that runs along the top of the opening of a shoe.
5
The vocal parts of a piece of music (particularly pop).

Verb

1
To bill (a performer) as the primary entertainer in a production. transitive
"A popular series of musical shorts he made for Mack Sennett's company in 1930 added to his success as a radio vocalist, and had made him a star by the end of 1931, when Paramount toplined him in The Big Broadcast […]"
2
To be billed as the primary entertainer in (a production). ambitransitive
"[Whitney] Houston's success in music led her to topline the features "Waiting to Exhale," "The Preacher's Wife" and the telefilm "Cinderella.""
3
(music) To compose and/or sing the vocal part of a song (particularly pop). transitive

"When viewing the horse in profile, attention must be paid to the curvature and proportions of the topline."

From top + line.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.