topple

Etymology

From top + -le (frequentative verb suffix).

verb

1. (transitive) To push or throw over.
   The massed crowds toppled the statue of the former dictator.
2. To overturn.
3. (figurative) To overthrow something.
   to topple one's rival
   Barla Von: Most people think I deal in finances, but my real currency is knowledge. I trade information and it has made me very wealthy. Barla Von: But the Shadow Broker is the true master. Every day, he buys and sells secrets that could topple governments, always giving them to the highest bidder. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel
   He now confronts the daunting endeavor of toppling a former president whose belligerence and loyal base of support have discouraged most leading Republicans — including, up to now, Mr. DeSantis — from making frontal attacks against him. 2023-05-24, Nicholas Nehamas, “Ron DeSantis Joins 2024 Race, Hoping to Topple Trump”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
4. (intransitive) To totter and fall, or to lean as if about to do so.
   The pile of pennies began to topple.