The terms top, bottom, and switch are used to describe roles for the duration of a sexual act or they may more broadly denote a psychological, social, or sexual identity, or indicate one's usual preference. The terms top, bottom, and switch are also used in

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

, with slightly different meanings. In BDSM, a ''top'' is the person doing something to someone else, and a ''bottom'' is the person receiving that act. In both contexts, the terms ''top'' and ''bottom'' refer to active and passive roles, not to who is physically on top in a particular sexual act. The older term "versatile" is sometimes used instead of "switch."

Top

In BDSM, ''top'' can mean either a dominant partner in BDSM play (such as

flogging Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...

, binding, being master,

humiliating Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It is an emotion felt by a person whose social status, either by force or willingly, has just decr ...

, and sexual play), or a partner who applies stimulation to another, and who may or may not be dominant. Topping from the bottom is a related BDSM term, meaning a person simultaneously adopts the role of

bottom Bottom may refer to: Anatomy and sex * Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or dominant * Bottom (sex), a term used by gay couples and BDSM * Buttocks or bottom, part of th ...

and

dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...

. A ''service top'' is a person who applies sensation or control to a bottom, but does so at the bottom's explicit instructions.

Bottom

In BDSM, ''bottom'' can mean either a submissive partner in sexual play (such as in being flogged, tied, humiliated, or made to serve), or a partner who receives stimulation from another, and who may or may not be submissive. A bottom in BDSM does not have to be the submissive; for example, a female dominant may command her submissive to penetrate her.

Switch

A switch is someone who participates in BDSM activities sometimes as a top and other times as a bottom or (in the case of

dominance and submission Dominance and submission (also called D/s) is a set of behaviors, customs, and rituals involving the submission of one person to another in an erotic episode or lifestyle. It is a subset of BDSM. This form of sexual contact and pleasure has been ...

) sometimes as a dominant and other times as a

submissive Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

. This is sometimes referred to as being ''versatile.''

Dominant and submissive

Those who take the superior position in

scenes and relationships are called dominants, doms or dommes (feminine), while those who take the subordinate position are called submissives or subs. A top filling the ''dominant role'' is not necessarily ''a'' dominant, and vice versa, and a bottom is not necessarily submissive. Similarly, many other labels exist for both dominants and submissives, such as Master/slave or Caregiver/little. The main difference between a dominant and a top is that the dominant exhibits control within a ''power exchange dynamic'', while a top exhibits control within a ''

scene Scene (from Ancient Greek, Greek σκηνή ''skēnḗ'') may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Scene (subculture), a youth subculture from the early 2000s characterized by a distinct music and style. Groups and performers * The S ...

''. A top may or may not be a dominant. Folsom Bondage (cropped)

The main difference between a submissive and a bottom is that a submissive cedes power in a power exchange dynamic. A bottom may or may not be a submissive, as power exchange does not have to be a component of their kinky play. Many distinguish top/bottom from dominant/submissive by seeing top/bottom as an expression of physical power, while dominant/submissive is an expression of psychological power. In both types of relationships - top/bottom and dominant/submissive - consent, negotiations, and mutual respect and support for one another are keys to healthy dynamics. Beginning in the 1970s, in some American contexts, people would identify their interests by wearing a set of keys on the side of their belt or a color-coded handkerchief in their rear pockets. This practice, called ''flagging'', began in the gay male subculture.

Sadist and masochist

The terms

sadism and masochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

are the giving and receiving of emotional or mental pain. See also *

List of sexual positions A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...

Master/slave (BDSM) In BDSM, Master/slave, M/s or sexual slavery is a relationship in which one individual serves another in a consensual authority-exchange structured relationship. Unlike Dominant/submissive structures found in BDSM in which love is often the co ...

* Servitude (BDSM)

Top

Bottom

Switch

Dominant and submissive

Sadist and masochist

References

Further reading