microsecond

noun

mi·​cro·​sec·​ond ˈmī-krō-ˌse-kənd 

-kənt

: one millionth of a second

Examples of microsecond in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But this seething primordial soup—the stuff of future galaxies, stars, planets and people—only lasted a few microseconds. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026

Each collision recreates conditions not seen since microseconds after the Big Bang—a testbed for theories about how matter itself is built. —Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026

The winner is the person who can hold on to this trajectory the longest, ideally cashing out in the microsecond before the randomized formula shoots the line perilously downward. —Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

They must be accelerated and collided mere microseconds after they’re created. —Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for microsecond

• femtosecond
• millisecond
• nanosecond
• picosecond
• beckoned
• reckoned
• second
• seconde

Kids Definition

microsecond

noun

mi·​cro·​sec·​ond ˌmī-krō-ˈsek-ənd 

-ənt

: one millionth of a second

Medical Definition

microsecond

noun

mi·​cro·​sec·​ond ˈmī-krō-ˌsek-ənd, -ənt 

: one millionth of a second