To keep himself awake he began to count backward by the hour to the last time he'd slept.

For example, if the last number is 5, one counts backward to the fifth position from the end.

I counted backward from that and the date stuck in my mind.

I asked him to count backward from 100 by 7's, but he stopped at 93.

But to be sure, I counted backward to one.

Claire started counting backward from ten and offered soothing words as she did so.

At those times I count backward from one hundred.

I'm going to count backward from four in my head.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began counting backward from one hundred eighty.

Now as I count backward, you'll see the numbers changing until we reach number one.