trickle-down

adjective

That flows, especially in limited quantity, from the highly placed to others.

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Meanings

adjectivetrickle-down (not comparable)
  1. not comparableThat flows, especially in limited quantity, from the highly placed to others.

    His name is Harry E Thompson and his Trickle-Down solar heating system is the basis for this book.

    2007, John Canivan, MTD Solar Heating, John Canivan, →ISBN, page 18
  2. not comparableeconomicsDescribing the theory that financial benefits given to the wealthy will somehow be passed down to the poor.

    On the surface, the Kuznets curve seems to justify laissez-faire economics and trickle-down policies.

    2012 April 30, Kentaro Toyama, “The Rise and Fall and Rise (Literally) of the Most Important Curve in Economics”, in The Atlantic
    2 more examples

    In addition, it examines the trickle-down effects of economic development as espoused by market theorists in the urban economic development literature. Policymakers in Rockford used the trickle-down logic of market theory to justify a […]

    2002, James L. Conyers, Black Cultures and Race Relations, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 125

    While the trickle-down mechanism is based on market optimism (in a well-functioning economy, the poor will benefit automatically from any growth), proponents of direct and indirect policies targeting the poor are market-pessimists, in which […]

    2007, Christian Schabbel, The Value Chain of Foreign Aid: Development, Poverty Reduction, and Regional Conditions, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 200
  3. not comparablebusinessDescribing a model of product adoption that flows vertically from the upper classes to the lower classes within society.

    Trickle-down patterns are very common for technological innovations, especially when new gadgets come to market with high price tags. The first black-and-white televisions cost more than some automobiles.

    2022, W. David Marx, chapter 8, in Status and Culture, Viking, →ISBN

Translations

French ruissellement
  • ruissellementDescribing the theory that financial benefits given to the wealthy will somehow be passed down to the poor
Polish skapujący, skapujący
  • skapującyThat flows, especially in limited quantity, from the highly placed to others
  • skapującyDescribing the theory that financial benefits given to the wealthy will somehow be passed down to the poor
Spanish repercute
  • repercuteThat flows, especially in limited quantity, from the highly placed to others
Cite this entry
APA

trickle-down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trickle-down

MLA

“trickle-down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trickle-down. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trickle-down,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trickle-down.

Source: trickle-down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.