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
And Execution Of Goals Goals are typically defined in a top-down manner, but success hinges on individual buy-in, so engaging team members throughout both planning and execution can allow goals to be met.
—
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Key voices say the party is too centralized, too top-down and too afraid to challenge its young leader.
—Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
This kind of top-down, one-size-fits-all mandate — one driven by misunderstanding or political vendettas — doesn’t belong in a state that prides itself on home rule.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
The path to such gains is far from assured without education, which requires top-down collaboration between the C-suite and employees.
—Clint Boulton, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for top-down
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Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Key voices say the party is too centralized, too top-down and too afraid to challenge its young leader.
—Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
This kind of top-down, one-size-fits-all mandate — one driven by misunderstanding or political vendettas — doesn’t belong in a state that prides itself on home rule.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
The path to such gains is far from assured without education, which requires top-down collaboration between the C-suite and employees.
—Clint Boulton, Forbes, 25 Mar. 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 13 Apr. 2025.
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