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This article is about the sexual activity. For other uses of the term, see Top (disambiguation).

In the context of human sexual behavior, especially anal sex among gay men, a top is an insertive partner, or a person who prefers the insertive role. The counterpart is a bottom. The top need not be physically on top of the other partner though this is often the case. A person who enjoys both topping and bottoming is called a switch or versatile. These terms are also used frequently in some lesbian circles, and are gaining use among some opposite-sex couples too. For example, the act of pegging involves a female top and a male bottom.

"Top" can also be used as a transitive or intransitive verb meaning to sexually penetrate (someone).

The terms "dominant" or "active" have been used for "top," though these may be confusing as the sex in question needn't be part of a dominance relationship, nor is the bottom necessarily "inactive". By extension, the term "top" is also used in BDSM to mean a partner who applies stimulation to another, and who may or may not be dominant. See top (BDSM).

In some American contexts, "tops" sometimes identified themselves by wearing a set of keys on the left side of the belt or a color-coded handkerchief in their left rear pockets, in this system the top did not always penetrate the bottom nor was he always the "active" partner, rather the "top" role would be different from act to act. This practice, called flagging, began in the gay male subculture but has almost completely disappeared.

Common slang terms in some gay communities include: pitcher (top), catcher (bottom) and switch hitter (versatile).

In sexually themed anime and manga, especially shōnen-ai and yaoi, a top is referred to as seme, a term from kabuki and Martial Arts.es:Activo (gay) it:Attivo (sessualità) nl:Top (seks)