Definition of top-down
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for top-down
The first known use of top-down was in 1941
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