bottom
gb/bˈɑtəm/ us/bˈɑtəm/
A1
English
~ 1800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
relation
1
Lowest part of something
The lowest part of something.
Usage pattern:
the bottom of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bottom' with 'down' — 'down' describes direction, while 'bottom' refers to position.
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.)
Collocations
bottom of the page
|bottom of the sea
|bottom drawer
|bottom shelf
|bottom layer
Themes
daily life
|spatial
|descriptions
|core_vocabulary
|space
Examples
- The keys are at the bottom of my bag.
- He found a pearl at the bottom of the lake.
- 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.
- There is water at the bottom of the glass.
- My cat sleeps at the bottom of my bed.
Noun
A1
entity
2
Person's buttocks
The part of your body you sit on.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s bottom
Synonyms
rear (Slightly more formal or euphemistic.)
Collocations
hurt your bottom
|sit on your bottom
|slap on the bottom
Themes
body
|daily life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The child fell and landed on his bottom.
- She sat on her bottom and slid down the hill.
- He rubbed his sore bottom after sitting for hours.
Learner examples
- I sit on my bottom.
- The baby fell on her bottom.
- He has pain in his bottom.
Noun
A2
relation
3
Lowest position or rank
The lowest place in a group or list.
Usage pattern:
at the bottom of [a list/group]
Synonyms
last place (A direct equivalent but more informal in competitive contexts.)
Antonyms
top (Highest position in rank or quality.)
Collocations
bottom of the league
|bottom of the class
|bottom ranking
Themes
business
|education
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Their team is at the bottom of the league table.
- He finished at the bottom of his class.
- This phone is at the bottom in terms of performance.
Learner examples
- We are at the bottom of the list.
- She is at the bottom of the class.
- Our team is at the bottom now.
Noun
A1
entity
4
End or farthest downward point
The end part that is far down a slope or wall.
Usage pattern:
at the bottom of [something]
Synonyms
foot (More common for mountains, stairs, and similar vertical structures.)
Antonyms
top (Highest point or start of a slope.)
Collocations
bottom of the stairs
|bottom of the hill
Themes
spatial
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They waited at the bottom of the stairs.
- We reached the bottom of the mountain by noon.
- There's a shop at the bottom of the street.
Learner examples
- He lives at the bottom of the hill.
- Wait for me at the bottom of the stairs.
- There is a café at the bottom of this road.
Verb
B2
action
5
Reach lowest point
To go down until you touch the lowest part.
Usage pattern:
to bottom [out/in something]
Synonyms
settle (Implies coming to rest after moving, not necessarily reaching a low point in position or value.)
Collocations
bottom out
Themes
movement
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The boat finally bottomed in shallow water.
- Divers reported they had bottomed at thirty meters.
- The submarine bottomed out on the seabed.
Learner examples
- The boat bottomed in shallow water.
- We bottomed at ten meters.
- The submarine bottomed out on the sand.
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.