Phrasal verb
count down
Definition
phrasal verb. to count numbers backward to zero, usually to show that something is about to start.
phrasal verb. to recite numbers in reverse order to mark the time remaining before an event occurs; often used intransitively or with a specific time period as the object.
Examples
“The crowd begins to count down from ten.”
“Fans gathered in the square to count down the final seconds of the year.”
“As the mission control team began to count down, a heavy silence fell over the room in anticipation of the historic launch.”
Examples
simple
“The crowd begins to count down from ten.”
contextual
“Fans gathered in the square to count down the final seconds of the year.”
complex
“As the mission control team began to count down, a heavy silence fell over the room in anticipation of the historic launch.”
Usage
often used with the preposition 'to' for the event or 'from' for the starting number.
Teaching tip
point out that while it often refers to literal numbers, it can also be used figuratively to mean waiting with excitement for a future date.
Pitfall
They counted down for the launch.
They counted down to the launch.
use 'to' to indicate the event that happens at the end of the counting.
Phrasal verb
Particles
down
Separability
optional
Pattern
count (+ object) + down
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/count-down