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
There was no top-down percentage target for reductions, Ahuja said.
—
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
This Milky Way image, however, is like a top-down view of the entire city.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
And many municipalities, responding to impassioned NIMBY locals, are actively fighting top-down, state-level attempts to meaningfully move the needle on new housing development.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
But this is completely top-down.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
This Milky Way image, however, is like a top-down view of the entire city.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
And many municipalities, responding to impassioned NIMBY locals, are actively fighting top-down, state-level attempts to meaningfully move the needle on new housing development.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
But this is completely top-down.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 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 12 Mar. 2026.
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