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

The court said Yoon's martial law had been carried out as a "top-down insurrection" and could be understood as a "palace coup".

From Barron's

The generation above him ran a "strict, top-down system where you did what you were told", while below him is "a generation that asks 'why''".

From BBC

Although this definition was developed for top-down level analysis, applying it to S&P 500 stocks show that, on Oct.

From Barron's

To judge by the results, the producing process seems top-down rather than organic.

From Los Angeles Times

For a top-down macro perspective, the chart below shows rotation analysis of selected asset classes against a U.S.

From MarketWatch