top-down
adjective
1
: controlled, directed, or instituted from the top level
a top-down corporate structure
2
: proceeding by breaking large general aspects (as of a problem) into smaller more detailed constituents : working from the general to the specific
top-down programming
top-down design
Examples of top-down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Critics warned that the measure would lead to a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to mental health care in the state.
—
Vik Jolly, Sacramento Bee, 15 May 2024
Funding must shift away from top-down charity models.
—Kennedy Odede, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Paine’s experiment was one of the first to convincingly demonstrate such top-down control in real time.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2024
In that same vein, rather than running into a heavily hierarchical, top-down leadership structure, new employees are assigned a mentor or coach to help with their development, while being able to work directly with people at all levels of the company.
—Michael Schroeder, The Indianapolis Star, 6 May 2024
Tarang says that this top-down, from the C-suite to the shipping department, inclusive approach works at e.l.f..
—Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
Analysts say the issue is less about top-down statistical manipulation.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 2 May 2024
This top-down push to efficiently set up the entire supply chain was indispensable, Mr. Yang said.
—John Liu, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
In addition to the book’s top-down anxieties about the coming managerial overclass, a bottom-up anxiety about how fragile solitude is—irreducible to an abstract right or a material good—permeates 1984.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
Vik Jolly, Sacramento Bee, 15 May 2024
Funding must shift away from top-down charity models.
—Kennedy Odede, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Paine’s experiment was one of the first to convincingly demonstrate such top-down control in real time.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2024
In that same vein, rather than running into a heavily hierarchical, top-down leadership structure, new employees are assigned a mentor or coach to help with their development, while being able to work directly with people at all levels of the company.
—Michael Schroeder, The Indianapolis Star, 6 May 2024
Tarang says that this top-down, from the C-suite to the shipping department, inclusive approach works at e.l.f..
—Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
Analysts say the issue is less about top-down statistical manipulation.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 2 May 2024
This top-down push to efficiently set up the entire supply chain was indispensable, Mr. Yang said.
—John Liu, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
In addition to the book’s top-down anxieties about the coming managerial overclass, a bottom-up anxiety about how fragile solitude is—irreducible to an abstract right or a material good—permeates 1984.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'top-down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near top-down
Cite this Entry
“Top-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top-down. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share