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Glite Dictionary
countdown

countdown

128 3.0
A set of numbers said backwards from a number to zero showing time left before an event
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊntˌdaʊn/
: cuenta atrás
  • I took out the dark slide, opened the shutter, and started the countdown using a stopwatch.
  • countdown to zero
  • countdown timer
  • start the countdown

And so that has also led to a countdown till I die.

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Examples

  • The countdown to our "Live Life Like a Millionaire Sweepstakes" is getting closer.

    Private Parts (1997)

  • Corporate news outlets broadcast a daily countdown of George W. Bush's last days in office.

    Academic text (2009)

  • We're going to do a countdown, starting from 5.

    END:CIV (2011)

  • The mechanical voice says, "Cycle one," and begins a countdown from nine to zero.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • When TOC came back on, the countdown would begin: "Five, four, three, two..."

    Fiction book (2002)

  • On a screen stretching from floor to ceiling, a countdown begins.

    Academic text (2013)

  • A few monitors in the cockpit indicate that the countdown is underway.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Resume the countdown.

    The Right Stuff (1983)

  • In his helmet earphones, Jamie heard the automated countdown ticking off, "Four... three... two... one..."

    Fiction book (1999)

  • As the rocket stood on the launch pad, the countdown began from ten to signal its imminent launch.

Surface Forms

countdown singular
countdowns plural

Morphology

countdown = count (transparent) = down + count

The meaning is directly derived from the components 'count' + 'down' (counting toward zero), which is readily inferable by learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Countdown is made of count and down — count means 'to say numbers' and down means 'toward zero'. So countdown is the backward counting people do to show how much time is left before an important event like a rocket launch or New Year.