trickle-up
Americanadjective
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noting or pertaining to the theory that monetary benefits directed toward small businesses and lower socioeconomic brackets will gradually pass up to big businesses and higher socioeconomic brackets.
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noting or pertaining to the theory that change and information moves upward in a hierarchy.
Etymology
Origin of trickle-up
First recorded in 1950–55; after trickle-down (theory) ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Decentralized, people-centered approaches can have trickle-up effects to improving governance and transparency throughout a region plagued by corruption.
From Washington Post • Dec. 27, 2021
Today, just look at brands such as Valentino with its spring 2018 ready-to-wear collection filled with louche tracksuits and Balenciaga’s sporty four-figure windbreakers as being examples of hip-hip’s trickle-up effect.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2018
And there is also the risk of a trickle-up effect: Employees not affected by the change might expect to see an increase in pay as well.
From New York Times • May 18, 2016
It creates the trickle-up effect which supports the bigger subsidised houses and eventually the West End – and in the process aids the British economy's recovery.
From The Guardian • Jun. 19, 2012
The term for this new approach is trickle-up innovation.
From BusinessWeek • Mar. 11, 2009
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.