bottom-up

adjective

bot·​tom-up ˈbä-təm-ˈəp How to pronounce bottom-up (audio)
: progressing upward from the lowest levels (as of a stratified organization or system)
bottom-up management

Examples of bottom-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The group suggested a bottom-up residual structure whereby top earners would be the last to collect residuals rather than the first. Zack Sharf, Variety, 7 Nov. 2023 Analysts have cut their bottom-up fourth quarter earnings estimate for the S&P 500 by 3.9%, according to FactSet research released Friday. Hardika Singh, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023 But the book makes clear the limitations of the bottom-up approach: the cast of characters is so large, and their stories so intermingled, that the narrative lacks coherence. Peter Englund, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023 This bottom-up approach is in line with my colleague Dani Rodrik’s recent paper, with Nathan Lane and Reka Juhasz, reviewing evidence around the structures that make industrial policies successful. TIME, 16 Oct. 2023 The gathering at the Vatican, which for the first time will include and give a vote to laypeople — including women — is central to Francis’s bottom-up view of the church. Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2023 Social media enables a concept called bottom-up social diffusion. Mary Magnuson, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2023 The Chinese state endorsed—or benignly neglected—the spontaneous, bottom-up explosion of rural entrepreneurship, and the reformist leadership deserved full credit for not stifling it. Yasheng Huang, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2023 But with free agency and the expansion draft around the corner, the organization is looking to develop a bottom-up culture, in many ways representing the origins of Cousins’ Reading FC teams. Sven Karabegovic, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bottom-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bottom-up was in 1930

Dictionary Entries Near bottom-up

Cite this Entry

“Bottom-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottom-up. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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