top-down approach

noun

UK /ˌtɒp daʊn əˈprəʊtʃ/

US /ˌtɑːp daʊn əˈproʊtʃ/

A way of doing something that starts with the big idea and then goes to the small parts.

The teacher used a top-down approach, explaining the whole story before looking at the words.

SYNONYMS

big-picture method overall-first method general-to-specific method macro approach

RELATED WORDS

bottom-up approach strategy planning hierarchy framework

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A way of managing where leaders make the rules and others follow them.

The company's top-down approach meant the boss made every decision.

3. A way of reading or learning that starts with whole texts and then moves to letters and sounds.

In reading class, the top-down approach begins with whole stories, not single letters.

4. A way of studying a system by starting with its main parts and then looking at the details.

The scientists used a top-down approach, first mapping the whole forest and then the trees.