countdown

count-down · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    (noun) The act of counting numbers backward to zero, especially before an event.

  2. 2.

    (noun) The period before an important event.

  3. 3.

    (verb) To count backward to zero.

Forms

plural: countdowns

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    countdown clock — a timer showing time remaining
  • •
    the final countdown — the last moments before an event

Related words

Antonyms: countup
See also: count, launch, timer

Etymology

Compound of "count" + "down," coined in the 1950s in connection with rocket launches.