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
In fast-changing environments, top-down control fails.
—
Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Please consider a free trial to access our top-down views and more stock ideas.
—Katie Stockton, CNBC, 23 June 2025
It was filled with top-down mandates that override the voices of our towns and cities.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Protection from surveillance comes in two forms: top-down legal and policy limits on data collection, and bottom-up technological protections in the hands of the targets of that surveillance.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Please consider a free trial to access our top-down views and more stock ideas.
—Katie Stockton, CNBC, 23 June 2025
It was filled with top-down mandates that override the voices of our towns and cities.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Protection from surveillance comes in two forms: top-down legal and policy limits on data collection, and bottom-up technological protections in the hands of the targets of that surveillance.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
Cite this Entry
“Top-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top-down. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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