countdown: Meaning and Definition of

count•down

Pronunciation: (kount'doun"), [key]
— n.
  1. the backward counting in fixed time units from the initiation of a project, as a rocket launching, with the moment of firing designated as zero.
  2. the final preparations made during this period.
  3. a period of increasing activity, tension, or anxiety, as before a deadline.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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