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
Applied to leadership, this mental model suggests the most resilient organizations are not top-down, but rather cellular.
—
Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Gameplay: Disc Battles and Light Racing Tron: Catalyst is largely a top-down, action-adventure game.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 May 2025
China’s top-down innovation model, heavily reliant on government subsidies and investment, has proved to be both inefficient and wasteful.
—Li Yuan, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Cannon has suggested that instead of top-down price controls — which will ultimately stifle pharmaceutical development and come back to hurt Americans — the answer is to remove barriers for American consumers to access prescription medications at cheaper prices.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Gameplay: Disc Battles and Light Racing Tron: Catalyst is largely a top-down, action-adventure game.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 May 2025
China’s top-down innovation model, heavily reliant on government subsidies and investment, has proved to be both inefficient and wasteful.
—Li Yuan, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Cannon has suggested that instead of top-down price controls — which will ultimately stifle pharmaceutical development and come back to hurt Americans — the answer is to remove barriers for American consumers to access prescription medications at cheaper prices.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 13 May 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 28 May. 2025.
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