Bottom
/ˈbɒtəm/
nounBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Idiom
Meanings
Questions
Definitions
2 meanings1
The lowest point or part of something.
/ˈbɒtəm/
nounneutralBeginner
General
Lowest part of something
The bottom of the stairs was slippery.
💡 Simply: The very lowest part.
More Examples
2
He reached the bottom of his coffee cup.
How It's Used
General
"The bottom of the box was wet."
Geography
"We reached the bottom of the valley."
2
Lowest in rank, position, or importance.
/ˈbɒtəm/
adjectiveneutralIntermediate
General
Lowest in rank or importance
He was at the bottom of the class.
💡 Simply: The least important.
More Examples
2
It's a bottom-of-the-range product.
How It's Used
Social
"He's at the bottom of the social ladder."
Tip:Think of being at the bottom of a hierarchy.
Idioms & expressions
get to the bottom of something
To discover the truth about something.
"The police are trying to get to the bottom of the mystery."
From Old English *botm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bodem and German Boden.
The word 'bottom' has been used consistently to refer to the lowest part of something since Old English times.
Memory tip
Think of the bottom of a boat.
Practice
Base: bottom
bottembottum
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written