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
Victoria’s Secret used to promote a top-down vision of sexy decided by men in charge, with the male gaze in mind.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
The top-down talent set a worldly tone that the dialogue-heavy, 2-hour 18-minute movie needs to hang together.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
But that top-down control, the absence of mechanisms for changing course, and the lack of freedoms that open up real innovation will probably also ensure that the Chinese will not be able to lead the way globally on AI.
—Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Autos Are an Economic Anchor China’s bold move into electric vehicles began in 2009 as a top-down policy to compete with foreign automakers, cut air pollution and reduce oil imports.
—Rebecca A. Fannin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
The top-down talent set a worldly tone that the dialogue-heavy, 2-hour 18-minute movie needs to hang together.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
But that top-down control, the absence of mechanisms for changing course, and the lack of freedoms that open up real innovation will probably also ensure that the Chinese will not be able to lead the way globally on AI.
—Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Autos Are an Economic Anchor China’s bold move into electric vehicles began in 2009 as a top-down policy to compete with foreign automakers, cut air pollution and reduce oil imports.
—Rebecca A. Fannin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 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 18 Oct. 2025.
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