countdown meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

countdown

noun

/ˈkaʊntˌdaʊn/

Etymology From count + down.

Aerospace, Astronautics, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A count backward in fixed units to the time of some event, especially the launch of a space vehicle.

Aerospace, Astronautics, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences The acts of preparation carried out during this period.

Broadcasting, Media, Radio, Television A radio or television program counting down the top songs of a given week, usually in reverse order and ending with the number one song.

Related terms: count-off, countout

countdown

verb

Etymology From count + down.

Nonstandard To count down.

This was accomplished in the old system by polling a software variable representing the number of prebleach bin and issuing a software command to trigger the AOM once the variable has countdowned to zero.1994, Yifeng Yuan, Polarized fluorescence photobleaching for measuring fast rotational motion of cell surface receptors:
Time measures itself out in a series of diminishing peristaltic ticks, countdowning slowly towards the miracle of Ignition.2000, Stephen Mark Cox, Cluck:

1 more example

Whole families stood gawking at the massive statue, countdowning the five remaining minutes to the big one.2003, Edward Stone Cohen, Firewater, →ISBN, page 129:

Related terms: countup, T-minus