count down

verb

To announce the passage of time to a precisely timed expected event.

“The party was counting down the days to Inauguration.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncount down (plural count downs)

plural count downs

  1. alternativeAlternative form of countdown.
verbcount down (third-person singular simple present counts down, present participle counting down, simple past and past participle counted down)

present singular third person counts down · participle present counting down · participle past counted down · past counted down

  1. transitiveTo announce the passage of time to a precisely timed expected event.

    The sound system counted down the seconds to meteor impact.

  2. transitiveTo await a precisely timed expected event.

    The party was counting down the days to Inauguration.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 倒讀數 /倒读数, 倒計時 /倒计时
  • 倒讀數 /倒读数 (dàodúshù)announce the passage of time
  • 倒計時 /倒计时 (dàojìshí)announce the passage of time
  • 倒數 /倒数 (dàoshǔ)announce the passage of time
  • 盼望 (pànwàng)await a precisely timed expected event
  • 盼著await a precisely timed expected event
  • 盼着 (pànzhe)await a precisely timed expected event
Esperanto dekalkuli
  • dekalkuliannounce the passage of time
Finnish laskea, laskea
  • laskeaannounce the passage of time
  • laskeaawait a precisely timed expected event
French décompter, décompter
  • décompterannounce the passage of time
  • décompterawait a precisely timed expected event
German herunterzählen, zählen
  • herunterzählenannounce the passage of time
  • zählenawait a precisely timed expected event
Hungarian visszaszámlál, visszaszámol
  • visszaszámlálannounce the passage of time
  • visszaszámolannounce the passage of time
Japanese 秒読みする
  • 秒読みする (byōyomi suru)announce the passage of time
Polish odliczać, odliczyć
  • odliczaćannounce the passage of time
  • odliczyćannounce the passage of time
  • odliczaćawait a precisely timed expected event
  • odliczyćawait a precisely timed expected event
Portuguese fazer contagem regressiva (a), contar os dias
  • fazer contagem regressiva (a)announce the passage of time
  • contar os diasawait a precisely timed expected event
Spanish contar regresivamente
  • contar regresivamenteannounce the passage of time
Cite this entry
APA

count down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/count%20down

MLA

“count down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/count%20down. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “count down,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/count%20down.

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