bottom
gb/bˈɑtəm/ us/bˈɑtəm/
A1
English
~ 1800
alj, fenék, láb, popsi, utolsó hely, rangsor alja, feneket ér, megfeneklik
NOUN
A1
1
Usage pattern:
the bottom of [something]
The keys are at the bottom of my bag.
A kulcsok a táskám alján vannak.
He found a pearl at the bottom of the lake.
Egy gyöngyöt talált a tó fenekén.
Please sign your name at the bottom of the form.
The ball rolled to the bottom of the hill.
Learner examples
The book is at the bottom of the box.
A könyv a doboz alján van.
There is water at the bottom of the glass.
Víz van a pohár alján.
My cat sleeps at the bottom of my bed.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bottom' with 'down' — 'down' describes direction, while 'bottom' refers to position.
Meaning
Lowest part of something
Collocations
bottom of the page
|bottom of the sea
|bottom drawer
|bottom shelf
|bottom layer
Synonyms
base (More often used for supporting structures or foundations, especially in technical or formal contexts.)
Antonyms
top (Refers to the highest point, opposite of the lowest point.)
Themes
daily life
|spatial
|descriptions
|core_vocabulary
|space
Definition
The lowest part of something.
The lowest surface, edge, or point of something.
NOUN
A1
2
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s bottom
The child fell and landed on his bottom.
A gyerek elesett, és a fenekére huppant.
She sat on her bottom and slid down the hill.
Leült a fenekére, és lecsúszott a dombról.
He rubbed his sore bottom after sitting for hours.
Learner examples
I sit on my bottom.
A fenekemen ülök.
The baby fell on her bottom.
A baba a fenekére esett.
He has pain in his bottom.
Meaning
Person's buttocks
Collocations
hurt your bottom
|sit on your bottom
|slap on the bottom
Synonyms
rear (Slightly more formal or euphemistic.)
Themes
body
|daily life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The part of your body you sit on.
The part of the body that you sit on; buttocks.
NOUN
A2
3
utolsó hely
A2
rangsor alja
B1
Usage pattern:
at the bottom of [a list/group]
Their team is at the bottom of the league table.
A csapatuk az utolsó helyen áll a bajnoki tabellán.
He finished at the bottom of his class.
Az osztályában az utolsó helyen végzett.
This phone is at the bottom in terms of performance.
Learner examples
We are at the bottom of the list.
Az utolsó helyen vagyunk a listán.
She is at the bottom of the class.
Az osztályban ő van az utolsó helyen.
Our team is at the bottom now.
Meaning
Lowest position or rank
Collocations
bottom of the league
|bottom of the class
|bottom ranking
Synonyms
last place (A direct equivalent but more informal in competitive contexts.)
Antonyms
top (Highest position in rank or quality.)
Themes
business
|education
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The lowest place in a group or list.
The lowest position in a scale, ranking, or level of quality.
NOUN
A1
4
Usage pattern:
at the bottom of [something]
They waited at the bottom of the stairs.
A lépcső aljánál vártak.
We reached the bottom of the mountain by noon.
Délre leértünk a hegy lábához.
There's a shop at the bottom of the street.
Learner examples
He lives at the bottom of the hill.
A domb alján lakik.
Wait for me at the bottom of the stairs.
Várj meg a lépcső aljánál.
There is a café at the bottom of this road.
Meaning
End or farthest downward point
Collocations
bottom of the stairs
|bottom of the hill
Synonyms
foot (More common for mountains, stairs, and similar vertical structures.)
Antonyms
top (Highest point or start of a slope.)
Themes
spatial
|space
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The end part that is far down a slope or wall.
The end or farthest point of something that is vertical or slopes downward.
VERB
B2
5
feneket ér
B1
megfeneklik
B2
Usage pattern:
to bottom [out/in something]
The boat finally bottomed in shallow water.
A csónak végül feneket ért a sekély vízben.
Divers reported they had bottomed at thirty meters.
A búvárok jelentették, hogy harminc méternél feneket értek.
The submarine bottomed out on the seabed.
Learner examples
The boat bottomed in shallow water.
A csónak feneket ért a sekély vízben.
We bottomed at ten meters.
Tíz méternél feneket értünk.
The submarine bottomed out on the sand.
Meaning
Reach lowest point
Collocations
bottom out
Synonyms
settle (Implies coming to rest after moving, not necessarily reaching a low point in position or value.)
Themes
movement
|space
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To go down until you touch the lowest part.
To reach and make contact with the lowest point of something, especially when moving downward.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bottom
IPA
GB/bˈɑtəm/
US/bˈɑtəm/
Syllables & stress
bot - tom (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (bot)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bottom
- Plural: bottoms
Verb
- Base: bottom
- 3rd Person Singular: bottoms
- Present Participle: bottoming
- Past: bottomed
Word family
Forms
bottoms
noun
bottoming
verb
bottomed
verb
Negative and opposite forms
top
noun A1
Advanced or less common
bottomless
adjective
Expressions
at the bottom of it all
1/ˈæt ðə bˈɑtəm əv ˈɪt ˈɔl/
idiom
Main cause or reason for something
The real reason something happens.
Examples
- At the bottom of it all, they just wanted to help people.
- Jealousy was at the bottom of their argument.
bottom line
1/bˈɑtəm lˈaɪn/
fixed phrase
Most important fact or result in summary form
The most important fact or result you need to know.
Examples
- The bottom line is that we can’t afford it.
- When it comes to safety, that’s our bottom line.
hit rock bottom
1/hˈɪt ɹˈɑk bˈɑtəm/
idiom
informal
Reach worst possible point
To be in the worst possible situation or condition.
Examples
- After losing his job and his home, he felt he had hit rock bottom.
- The company's sales hit rock bottom last year before improving.
from top to bottom
1/fɹˈʌm tˈɑp tə bˈɑtəm/
fixed phrase
Completely, in every part
Including every part from the highest to the lowest; completely.
Examples
- They cleaned the house from top to bottom.
- I read the report from top to bottom.
- The building was renovated from top to bottom last year.
scrape the bottom of the barrel
1/skɹˈeɪp ðə bˈɑtəm əv ðə bˈɛɹəl/
idiom
informal
use last and worst options
To use the worst or last choices because there are no good choices left.
Examples
- We're really scraping the bottom of the barrel with these candidates.
- By the final season, the show was scraping the bottom of the barrel for story ideas.
- They scraped the bottom of the barrel to find enough players for the game.
scrape the bottom of the barrel
2/skɹˈeɪp ðə bˈɑtəm əv ðə bˈɛɹəl/
idiom
informal
Use worst remaining options available
To use whatever is left, even if it is bad, because nothing better is available.
Examples
- We had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find players for the team.
- By now, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas.
scrape the bottom of the barrel
3/skɹˈeɪp ðə bˈɑtəm əv ðə bˈɛɹəl/
idiom
use the worst remaining options
To use the last and worst choices because all the good ones are gone.
Examples
- We’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel with these candidates.
- By the end of the season, the team was scraping the bottom of the barrel for players.
- If this is the best design, they must be scraping the bottom of the barrel.