count down
Idioms-
Count backward from any number to zero to indicate time, as in The final seconds before take off were counted down: 10, 9, 8, etc . The down in this term refers to the decreasing size of the numbers. This usage originated in connection with the firing of missiles and spacecraft and has since been broadened to such events as the roll call of states at a political convention. [c. 1950]
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Make final preparations for an event, as in Hong Kong was counting down to the day when it became part of mainland China . This usage is derived from def. 1. [Late 1950s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Workers at Butterfly Effect, an artificial-intelligence startup with Chinese roots, gathered in March to count down to the launch of a demo of a new AI-powered tool called Manus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
The number of active U.S. oil rigs has fallen by 65 so far this year, with the weekly count down by six, to 414 rigs as of Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
But as we count down the days to its triumphant return, I have a gentle proposal.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025
Just ask seven-year-old Oliver, who's spent the past week of his school holidays waking his dad, Paul, at 6:30 to eagerly count down the days.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2025
She held up three fingers, ready to count down.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
