- [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
Synonyms bottombottombase ▪ foundation ▪ footThese 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.
- The lamp has a heavy base.
- to lay the foundations of the new school
- At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him.
- 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
- arrive at
- fall to
- get to
- …
- end
- half
- along the bottom
- at the bottom
- from the bottom
- …
- [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
- arrive at
- fall to
- get to
- …
- end
- half
- along the bottom
- at the bottom
- from the bottom
- …
- [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
- arrive at
- fall to
- get to
- …
- end
- half
- along the bottom
- at the bottom
- from the bottom
- …
- [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 ExamplesTopics Geographya2- She could only just touch the bottom.
- These fish spend most of their lives on the river bottom.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- false
- arrive at
- fall to
- get to
- …
- end
- half
- along the bottom
- at the bottom
- from the bottom
- …
- [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
- at the bottom
- near the bottom
- towards/toward the bottom
- …
opposite top - [countable] (especially British English) the part of the body that you sit on
- We sat on our bottoms on the damp grass.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bare
- slap
- smack
- spank
- …
- [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
- [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.
- [countable] the lower part of a ship that is below the surface of the water synonym hullTopics Transport by waterb1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
- false
- arrive at
- fall to
- get to
- …
- end
- half
- along the bottom
- at the bottom
- from the bottom
- …
- (in adjectives) having the type of bottom mentioned
- a flat-bottomed boat
lowest part
of container
of lake/sea/pool
lowest position
part of body
clothing
end of something
of ship
-bottomed
Word OriginOld English botm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bodem ‘bottom, ground’ and German Boden ‘ground, earth’.
Idioms
See bottom in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bottom in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishat 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.
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.
(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 at 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.
Check pronunciation:
bottom