ˈtäpəl verb
( toppled ; toppled ; toppling -p(ə)liŋ ; topples )
Etymology: freq. of top (III)
intransitive verb
1. : to fall from or as if from top-heaviness : tumble down
toppled backward to a sprawl on the pavement — Scott Fitzgerald
2. : to be or appear on the verge of toppling : be or seem unsteady : totter
upon his head topples a fantastic structure of bull's horns and feathers — H.V.Morton
transitive verb
1. : to cause to topple : push over : overturn , upset
the crowd outside toppled part of the churchyard wall in its crush — Time
2. : to eject from a position of authority, power, or eminence : overthrow
two world wars … toppled six colonial empires — Newsweek