adverb
tops
No more than a stated amount.
The walk to the station takes ten minutes, tops.
Etymology
Tops treats the stated quantity as an upper boundary. The informal expression means the amount will rise no higher than that maximum.
More examples
- We need three boxes, tops, to pack these books.
- The repair costs fifty dollars, tops.
- There were twenty people in the room, tops.
Forms
tops
Similar words
- at most
- States the same limit without the casual tone of tops.
- up to
- Usually comes before the amount rather than after it.