top performing

USAGE SUMMARY

"top performing" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe someone or something that is performing better than average or as well as can be expected. For example, you could say "The student was a top performing member of the class."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

23 human-written examples

In myosin, fifteen of the thirty top performing alphabets were rationally designed, and five of the fourteen top-performing Atchley-factor alphabets were A1- or A5-based.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Consider what differentiates top performing customer service representatives, Coffman notes.

Harvard Business Review

Look at the top performing companies.

Forbes

Top performing companies have consistency of leadership.

Forbes

Then, Unilever was another top performing brand.

Forbes

It is now offering equity to its top performing writers.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

37 human-written examples

A Top-Performing Europe Fund?

Forbes

What do the top-performing allocators say now?

Forbes

Do a quick analysis of your top-performing posts/stories.

Forbes

Enron had a top-performing stock.

The New York Times

Both are a given in the top-performing countries.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In modern digital contexts, the hyphen is sometimes omitted, but keeping it ensures formal grammatical accuracy and clarity for the reader.

Common error

Avoid leaving the phrase unhyphenated when it precedes a noun in formal writing. While "the athlete is top performing" is acceptable after a verb, "a top performing athlete" should ideally be "a "top-performing" athlete" to prevent ambiguity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "top performing" functions as a compound adjective used to describe an entity that excels or ranks highest in its category. According to Ludwig, it typically modifies nouns like "companies", "stocks" or "algorithms".

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

45%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Social Media

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "top performing" is a versatile and correct phrase used to denote excellence across various domains including finance, science and sports. Ludwig AI confirms its high frequency in reputable sources like The New York Times and Nature. The most important takeaway for writers is the nuance of hyphenation: while often seen without a hyphen in casual news snippets, using ""top-performing"" as a compound modifier before a noun is the gold standard for professional clarity. Whether you are discussing "top performing" stocks or researchers, this phrase effectively conveys a status of peak achievement.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

top-performing

Standard hyphenated form used when the phrase precedes a noun.

highest-performing

Emphasizes the superlative nature of the performance within a specific group.

high-achieving

Commonly used for people, students or specific entities that meet high standards.

leading

Focuses on the entity's position at the front of its field or industry.

best-in-class

A business-centric term indicating the absolute highest standard in a category.

superior

Indicates a general level of performance that is better than average or competitors.

elite

Suggests belonging to a small, high-status group of high performers.

front-running

Often used in competitive or sports contexts to describe those currently winning.

outperforming

A dynamic term suggesting the entity is doing better than its peers or benchmarks.

premium

Used more for products or assets to indicate high quality and performance.

FAQs

Is "top performing" or "top-performing" more correct?

Both are used, but ""top-performing"" is the grammatically preferred version when it modifies a noun that follows it, such as in "a top-performing fund".

What is a more formal way to say "top performing"?

In formal or academic contexts, you might use "highest performing", "leading" or "high-achieving".

How do I use "top performing" in a business sentence?

You can use it to describe employees or assets, such as: "We are looking to promote our "top-performing" sales representatives this quarter."

What does "top performing" mean in a scientific context?

In science, it often refers to an algorithm, model or method that yielded the best results in an experiment. Ludwig examples show researchers often refer to the "top performing model" in their analysis.