In the common practice period the "strict resolution" the chord's seventh degree is stepwise downward. For example, the seventh of the dominant seventh chord, resolving to tonic, moves downward to the third of the following chord. In the key of C major, the dominant seventh chord would be G7; the seventh note of this G7 chord is F, which should resolve downwards to an E in the next bar (typically supported by a C-major chord).
