/ ˈbɒtəm; NAmE ˈbɑːtəm/ noun , adjective , verb
■ noun
LOWEST PART
1.
[ C , usually sing. ] bottom (of sth) the lowest part of sth :
Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
I waited for them at the bottom of the hill.
The book I want is right at the bottom (= of the pile) .
OPP top
2.
[ C , usually sing. ] bottom (of sth) the part of sth that faces downwards and is not usually seen :
The manufacturer's name is on the bottom of the plate.
OF CONTAINER
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] bottom (of sth) the lowest surface on the inside of a container :
I found some coins at the bottom of my bag.
OF RIVER / POOL
4.
[ sing. ] the ground below the water in a lake, river, swimming pool, etc. :
He dived in and hit his head on the bottom.
END OF STH
5.
the ~ (of sth) [ sing. ] ( especially BrE ) the part of sth that is furthest from you, your house, etc. :
I went to the school at the bottom of our street.
There was a stream at the bottom of the garden.
LOWEST POSITION
6.
bottom (of sth) [ sing. ] the lowest position in a class, on a list, etc.; a person, team, etc. that is in this position :
a battle between the teams at the bottom of the league
You have to be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up.
I was always bottom of the class in math.
OPP top
PART OF BODY
7.
[ C ] ( especially BrE ) the part of the body that you sit on
SYN backside , behind
CLOTHING
8.
[ C , usually pl. ] the lower part of a set of clothes that consists of two pieces :
a bikini bottom
a pair of pyjama / tracksuit bottoms
—compare top
OF SHIP
9.
[ C ] the lower part of a ship that is below the surface of the water
SYN hull
-BOTTOMED
10.
(in adjectives) having the type of bottom mentioned :
a flat-bottomed boat
•
IDIOMS
- at bottom
- be / lie at the bottom of sth
- the bottom drops / falls out (of sth)
- bottoms up!
- get to the bottom of sth
—more at heap noun , heart , pile noun , scrape verb , top noun , touch verb
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] in the lowest, last or furthest place or position :
the bottom line (on a page)
your bottom lip
the bottom step (of a flight of stairs)
on the bottom shelf
Put your clothes in the bottom drawer.
Their house is at the bottom end of Bury Road (= the end furthest from where you enter the road) .
in the bottom right-hand corner of the page
the bottom end of the price range
to go up a hill in bottom gear
We came bottom (= got the worst result) with 12 points.
•
IDIOMS
see bet verb
—see also rock-bottom
■ verb
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- bottom out
••
SYNONYMS
bottom
base ♦ foundation ♦ foot
These are all words for the lowest part of sth.
bottom
[usually sing.] the lowest part of sth:
Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
•
I waited for them at the bottom of the hill.
base
[usually sing.] the lowest part of sth, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands:
The lamp has a heavy base.
foundation
[usually pl.] a layer of bricks, concrete, etc. that forms the solid underground base of a building:
to lay the foundations of the new school
foot
[sing.] the lowest part of sth:
At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him.
bottom or foot?
Foot is used to talk about a limited number of things: it is used most often with tree, hill / mountain, steps / stairs and page . Bottom can be used to talk about a much wider range of things, including those mentioned above for foot . Foot is generally used in more literary contexts.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
at / near / towards the bottom / base / foot of sth
on the bottom / base of sth
(a) firm / solid / strong base / foundation(s)
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English botm , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bodem bottom, ground and German Boden ground, earth.