English

Alternative forms

• top-of-mind

Adjective

top of mind

1. (idiomatic) Foremost in one's thoughts; of greatest concern or priority.
   • 1990 June 13, Nancy Millman, "Companies swing into war on fat," Chicago Sun-Times, p. 52 (retrieved 6 July 2012):

     Fighting fat, a top-of-mind concern among consumers today, is the subject of new marketing campaigns.

   • 2004 Dec. 17, Unmesh Kher, "Biz Briefs: Executive Summary—Inflated Pay," Time:

     If shareholders had the power to alter the composition of the corporate board, the authors argue, directors would be more likely to keep investors' interests top of mind when setting CEO salaries and perks.

   • 2010 May 13, Chase Davis, "A Candidate Shaped in Crucible of Facebook and Privacy Issues," New York Times (retrieved 6 July 2012):

     “It's clear that privacy issues are top of mind for Facebook,” Ms. Stoddart said in a July 2009 statement.

Usage notes

• The hyphenated form (top-of-mind) is standard when this adjective is placed immediately before the noun it modifies.

Synonyms

• preeminent