Top

A “Top” is the person primarily performing the actions or giving the sensations, as contracted with the “Bottom,” the person receiving the action of sensation in a BDSM scene.

The term “Top” is not the same as “Dom” or “Master/Mistress”; the person providing the sensation may not be the one in control of what is happening in the scene.

A Dom of whatever gender might enjoy the sensation of being penetrated with a strap-on dildo and tell a Sub to wear one to give them pleasure. In this case, the role of Top (providing the action/stimulation) is being filled by the submissive (who is following the direction of the Dom who controls the scene) and the role of bottom (receiving the sensations given by the sub) is the Dom.  Yeah.  A bit confusing at first, but you’ll get there!

Rope Top/Rigger

Within the context of rope bondage (aka rigging), the person applying rope is the Rope Top. Another term for this role/person is rigger.

Service Top

A Service Top might be a D-type (Dominant, Dom, Domme), M-type (Master, Mistress), or s-type (submissive, sub, slave) that performs topping skills on a willing Bottom primarily for the benefit of the Bottom (as a service to them). A Pro-Dom or Pro-Domme is a Service Top.

Bottom

A Bottom is a person receiving the action or sensation provided to them by the “Top” in a BDSM scene.

The term “Bottom” is not the same as submissive or slave, as they are not necessarily relinquishing control.  For example, during flogging, the person swinging the flogger implement would be the Top, while the person being struck with the flogger would be the Bottom.

Rope Bottom/Bunny

Within the context of rope bondage, a person who is having rope applied to them is called a Rope Bottom. Another common term for this is Rope Bunny.

Dominant/Dom/Domme

A Dominant, or Dom, is the person in control, the one with the power or authority in a power exchange situation or relationship. They practice some form of domination, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or a combination.

“Dom” is the most commonly used form and does not imply anything about gender, orientation, etc. Some people use the form “Domme” to specifically identify a Dominant that identifies as female.

“Domme” is pronounced “dom” by some and “dom-may” by others. Occasionally the word “Domina” or “Dominatrix” is also used to describe a female/feminine Dominant or Mistress.

Submissive/Sub

A submissive, or sub, is a person that gives up some degree of authority and/or control to a Dominant for the duration of a specific scene or all the time. It is not to be confused with the term “Bottom”.

The term “sub” is synonymous with submissive and does not imply anything about gender, orientation, etc.

Switch

A person who participates in relationships, scenes, and activities as a Top/Dominant or Bottom/submissive depending on their mood, partner or the situation. Some Switches enjoy changing their power dynamic during a scene.

A Switch is a person who enjoys both sides of the coin, so to speak. Some Switches choose a specific role with particular partners or activities, others decide based on their mood.

Within the context of rope, someone who enjoys both Topping and Bottoming may refer to themselves as a Rope Switch.