top-shelf

American

[top-shelf] / ˈtɒpˈʃɛlf /

Or top shelf

adjective

of high quality; premium.

His bar cart was full of top-shelf liquor.
The cinematography is top-shelf.

Etymology

Origin of top-shelf

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That explains why Duke scheduled top-shelf opponents such as Michigan, Florida and Kansas, but also five games against teams rated worse than No. 200 in Torvik’s metrics.

From The Wall Street Journal

The top-shelf Turbo also gets an extra-large center touch screen, roughly the size of a lunch tray.

From The Wall Street Journal

But when they beat the Chargers on the opening weekend of the playoffs, Vrabel wasn’t looking to dissect whether or not the team had proven itself against top-shelf competition.

From The Wall Street Journal

The turbine-themed 21-inch wheels on the top-shelf Calligraphy model just sing.

From The Wall Street Journal

He looked especially exposed against top-shelf competition, throwing three picks in a game against Ole Miss.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023