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
This subtle yet profound shift from a top-down approach to a lateral partnership is fundamental to cultivating genuine inclusion.
—
Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
These elements often drive health care providers to provide care autocratically without patient engagement and modeling the top-down decision-making style now seen in our government.
—Dr. Howard A. Selinger, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has dedicated the city to supporting monarchs, signing the Mayor's Monarch Pledge five years in a row since 2021, but the garden at the crime lab was not a top-down directive.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 17 July 2025
The old model — waiting for top-down solutions from Washington or Sacramento — is broken.
—John Eger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
These elements often drive health care providers to provide care autocratically without patient engagement and modeling the top-down decision-making style now seen in our government.
—Dr. Howard A. Selinger, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has dedicated the city to supporting monarchs, signing the Mayor's Monarch Pledge five years in a row since 2021, but the garden at the crime lab was not a top-down directive.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 17 July 2025
The old model — waiting for top-down solutions from Washington or Sacramento — is broken.
—John Eger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 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 31 Jul. 2025.
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