**COUNT DOWN** 是一个动词短语，主要表示“倒计时”或“向下数”的动作，常用于时间、事件或活动的临近前，强调对即将到来的时刻的期待或紧张感。在日常生活中，count down 也常用来描述从一个较大的数字逐渐减小到零的过程。

## 1. 基本释义

1. **倒计时**：表示从一个较大的数值开始，逐次减少直到归零，常用于时间、距离、数量等场景。

   - The space shuttle countdown has begun, and we're now at T-minus 10 seconds. (航天飞机的倒计时已经开始了，现在是T-10秒。)

2. **期待或焦虑**：表达对重要事件或时刻的期待或紧张情绪。

   - As the wedding day draws closer, the bride's excitement is building up, and she's counting down the days. (随着婚礼的临近，新娘的兴奋感越来越强烈，她正在倒数着日子。)

3. **顺序排列**：有时也用于表示按照一定的顺序或级别往下数。

   - In the competition, the athletes were counted down from first to last place. (在比赛中，运动员们从第一名开始依次往下数。)

## 2. 用法例句

1. **倒计时场景**

   - The New Year's Eve party is tonight, and we're all counting down the hours. (今晚是除夕晚会，我们都在倒数着小时。)

   - The teacher started counting down from 10 for the students to get back to their seats. (老师从10开始倒数，让学生们回到座位上。)

2. **期待情绪**

   - She's counting down the days until her summer vacation begins. (她正倒数着暑假开始的日子。)

   - He was counting down the minutes until the end of his boring meeting. (他正在倒数着这场无聊会议结束的分钟。)

3. **顺序排列**

   - In the sports ranking, our team was counted down as the third best this year. (在体育排名中，我们的队伍今年被列为第三名。)

## 3. 同义词辨析

1. **TIMELINE**: 表示时间线，通常用于描绘一系列事件或项目的顺序，但不强调倒计时的概念。

   - We drew up a timeline for the project to keep track of its progress. (我们制定了项目的时间线以跟踪其进展。)

2. **WATCH THE CLOCK**: 指的是密切关注时间，通常表示对时间流逝的焦虑或期待。

   - With only an hour left, everyone was watching the clock. (只剩下一小时了，所有人都在盯着时钟。)

3. **LOOK FORWARD TO**: 直接表示期待或盼望某个事件或时刻。

   - I'm really looking forward to our vacation next week. (我真的很期待下周的假期。)

4. **DESCEND/DROP**: 这些动词可以表示数量或等级的下降，但不如 count down 具体地暗示倒计时。

   - Sales have descended steadily since the beginning of the year. (自从年初以来，销售额一直在稳步下降。)