Countdown
Channel 4 classic
A countdown is a backward count toward zero, marking time until an event: The countdown to launch began at T-minus ten.
The term evokes anticipation and finality—rocket launches, New Year's Eve, bomb timers.
Figuratively, any period of waiting before something significant: We're in the final countdown to the election.
Propulsion-driven spacecraft
- liftoffMoment of ascent
- ignitionStarting combustion process
- NASAFederal space exploration bureau
- missionPurpose-driven task
spacecraft · Cape Canaveral · T-minus · sequencer · abort · thruster · propulsion · blast-off
State of awaiting something
- tensionStretched or strained state
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
- waitingRemaining in expectation
- buildupGradual accumulation over time
climax · dramatic · nail-biting · edge · breathless · expectation · mounting · intense
Duration-tracking mechanism
- clockDevice displaying time
- secondsTime units, or extras
- minutesSixty-second intervals
- finalLast and decisive
deadline · remaining · ticking · zero · expiration · dwindling · last · end
Brief informal test
- showMake something apparent
- lettersAlphabetic characters or mail
- numbersCounting and calculation symbols
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
Channel 4 · dictionary · anagram · contestant · score · round · clock · puzzle
Annual December celebration night
- Times SquareFamous Manhattan intersection
- ball dropAnnual midnight spectacle
- midnightTwelve o'clock at night
- Dick ClarkTelevision music show pioneer
celebration · televised · live · audience · confetti · cheering · champagne · party
rocket
Propulsion-driven spacecraft
mission · spacecraft · Cape Canaveral · T-minus · sequencer · abort · thruster · propulsion · blast-off · launchpad
anticipation
State of awaiting something
- tensionStretched or strained state
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
- waitingRemaining in expectation
buildup · climax · dramatic · nail-biting · edge · breathless · expectation · mounting · intense · threshold
timer
Duration-tracking mechanism
final · deadline · remaining · ticking · zero · expiration · dwindling · last · end · approaching
quiz
Brief informal test
- showMake something apparent
- lettersAlphabetic characters or mail
- numbersCounting and calculation symbols
conundrum · Channel 4 · dictionary · anagram · contestant · score · round · clock · puzzle · word
New Year's Eve
Annual December celebration night
- Times SquareFamous Manhattan intersection
- ball dropAnnual midnight spectacle
- midnightTwelve o'clock at night
Dick Clark · celebration · televised · live · audience · confetti · cheering · champagne · party · revelry
- game showsbuzzer, buzzers, contestant, contestants, jackpot
- New ZealandAuckland, Wellington, Air New Zealand, Kiwis, Christchurch
- British TVDoctor Who, Coronation Street, EastEnders, The Crown, Downton Abbey
- number gamessudoku, KenKen, number sequence, number sequences, number grid
- Australasian RetailersWoolworths, Kmart, New World, Aldi, Kathmandu
- Channel 4Channel 4 News, Derry Girls, Father Ted, The IT Crowd, Utopia
Countdownretrospective
Reviewing what came before
lookback · review · recap · postmortem · hindsight
Countdownaftermath
Results following an event
denouement · conclusion · epilogue · wrap-up · follow-up