Text only Version of the Online Writing Lab
St. Louis Community College - Meramec
"She sings at the top of her lungs."
On a literal level this means... She sings using all of her lung capacity.
Correct. On a literal level using the word top in the context of an action means the action is at full capacity. In this example, “sings at the top of her lungs” means she is using her lungs at full capacity.