top-down

American  

[top-doun] / ˈtɒpˌdaʊn /

adjective

1. relating to, originating with, or directed by those of highest rank.

   a centralized, top-down organization with a chain of command reporting up from every corner of the earth.

2. organized or proceeding from the larger, more general structure to smaller, more detailed units, as in processing information.

   Top-down investing looks at the big picture, or how the overall economy drives the markets, and then focuses on individual stocks.

3. Computers. noting or relating to a methodology used in the design and coding of programs that takes a high-level description of a problem and successively breaks it into smaller and simpler subunits.

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top-down British  

adjective

1. controlled, directed, or organized from the top

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Etymology

Origin of top-down

First recorded in 1940–45; 1970–75 top-down for def. 3; adjective use of the adverb phrase “from the top down ”

Example Sentences

Unlike those of so many European cities destroyed by war, top-down planning or the vicissitudes of taste, Prague’s historical districts—the Old, New, Castle and Lesser towns—are among the best preserved in all of Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

This top-down control over urban development has drawn both envious admiration and criticism.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

For investors who want to consider individual aerospace and defense stocks for long-term investments, it might help to take a top-down look at valuations and growth expectations for the group.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

It is an explicit antidote to the Hollywood model, where notes are often anonymous and top-down.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Our top-down, goal-directed system wants to keep in touch, make connections, form relationships, forge partnerships.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel