trickle-down

[ trik-uhl-doun ]

adjective

of, relating to, or based on the trickle-down theory: the trickle-down benefits to the local community.

Origin of trickle-down

First recorded in 1950–55; adj. use of verb phrase trickle down

Words Nearby trickle-down

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trickle-down in a sentence

But I think the trickle-down effect has been pretty significant.
The Director Isn’t Done Yet: An Interview With Steven Soderbergh | Andrew Romano | August 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But publicly, once they make that decision, the trickle down effect is immeasurable.
The Jason Collins Effect: Yes, They Can | Nicholas McCarvel | April 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And if trickle-down could start on a dinner napkin, surely the process of reversing its malignant effects can start with a book.
Real Vs. Republican Populism: How to Win the War on Inequality | Michael Tomasky | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But it will take a long time for positive growth to trickle down to those who have crossed the poverty line.
A Dickensian Christmas For Greece’s New Poor | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
By inserting a phrase like “trickle-down economics” in his powerful message, he let us all off the hook too easily.
A Catholic Ex-Banker on Pope Francis’s Radical Views | Chris Lowney | December 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

And the water he took in sips, allowing it to trickle down his throat, drop by drop almost.
Those Times And These | Irvin S. Cobb
For a moment I watched the contents of those two eggshells trickle down through the leaves and moss, then I looked up at Bige.
Lost Pond | Henry Abbott
See what a quantity of holes he has made in it, and how its bark is stained p. 60with the drops which trickle down from them.
Wanderings in South America | Charles Waterton
Maria let her head fall upon his shoulder, and the tears began to trickle down her wasted cheeks.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat | Mrs. Henry Wood
She cried afresh, and held the empty glass to her lips in the hope a forgotten drop might trickle down upon them.
A Sheaf of Corn | Mary E. Mann

British Dictionary definitions for trickle-down

trickle-down

adjective

of or concerning the theory that granting concessions such as tax cuts to the rich will benefit all levels of society by stimulating the economy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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