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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The idea is little more than fantasy wish-casting, driven by a top-down desire to inorganically bring into the world something that can only exist organically. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024 Another alternative to watering plants from the typical top-down direction is to go bottom-up. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024 Take the opportunity to look at your own SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) preventing you from making those connections, and from there, work on a top-down perspective. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Rethink hopes to avoid a similar top-down planning process. Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for top-down 

Word History

Etymology

from the phrase from the top down

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of top-down was in 1930

Dictionary Entries Near top-down

Cite this Entry

“Top-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top-down. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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