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
The new guard of creators and brand strategists who have built communities from the ground up know their method is much more effective and engaging than a top-down model.
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Caitlin White, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Audiences are now challenging the media’s monopoly and the top-down lecture modes of addressing viewers and readers, which in some cases can present ethical challenges.
—Shepherd Mpofu, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Two first-round draft picks are nice and so is top-down leadership.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
The jury saw photos and video of the scene, including one gory top-down photo.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Caitlin White, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Audiences are now challenging the media’s monopoly and the top-down lecture modes of addressing viewers and readers, which in some cases can present ethical challenges.
—Shepherd Mpofu, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Two first-round draft picks are nice and so is top-down leadership.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
The jury saw photos and video of the scene, including one gory top-down photo.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
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 4 May. 2026.
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