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
An Updown girl buried with adornments befitting the seventh-century Anglo-Saxon elite had a sub-Saharan African grandparent, and the Slavicization of Eurasia was the result of east-to-west migration rather than of top-down imposition by Slavic elites.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
Beijing is also continuing its push to insulate itself from future shocks – including in its upcoming five-year plan, which aims to deepen a top-down drive for tech and industrial self-sufficiency.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
But Boss isn’t purely top-down driven.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
Perhaps the most striking leadership insight was Shapiro's rejection of traditional top-down models.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
Beijing is also continuing its push to insulate itself from future shocks – including in its upcoming five-year plan, which aims to deepen a top-down drive for tech and industrial self-sufficiency.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
But Boss isn’t purely top-down driven.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
Perhaps the most striking leadership insight was Shapiro's rejection of traditional top-down models.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2025.
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