tick down
Gradually reduce remaining
Tick down means to decrease incrementally, often in small regular steps.
The image comes from clock hands or digital displays advancing one unit at a time: The countdown ticked down to zero.
It describes gradual decline—a timer running out, a score dropping, inventory depleting: His approval rating has been ticking down for months.
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- decrementFixed amount subtracted
- waningGradually decreasing in intensity
- ebbingGradually declining or receding
- downtickSmall reduction in amount
deflation · hourglass · sand timer · fading · slow fade · attrition · decline · on the decline · stopwatch · contraction · depreciation · subtraction · downswing · timer · weakening · losing steam · regression · tapering