1. countdown - Noun
2. countdown - Verb
counting backward from an arbitrary number to indicate the time remaining before some event (such as launching a space vehicle)
Source: WordNetI am not insecure enough to count the bouquets I receive on my birthday, I don't assess my popularity by the number of magazine covers I am on, I don't get worried if my song is on the seventh position on countdown charts. Shahrukh Khan
A scorching blast of golden fire as it slowly leaves the ground Tears away with a mighty force The air is shattered by the awesome sound -- Countdown (1982) Neil Peart
I am 55 years old now. It takes three years to write one book. I don't know how many books I will be able to write before I die. It is like a countdown. So with each book I am praying - please let me live until I am finished. Haruki Murakami
My second husband believed I had such a fickle attitude to friendship that each Friday he would update the list of my 'Top Ten' friends in the manner of a Top Of The Pops chart countdown. Julie Burchill
When does money run out of time? The countdown begins when investable assets pose too much risk for too little return; when lenders desert credit markets for other alternatives such as cash or real assets. Bill Gross
The countdown reached ten seconds and I could almost hear an invisible crescendo of stirring background music. 'Anchors aweigh!' Five, four, three, two, one... and we had ignition! Eugene Cernan