millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmi-lə-ˌse-kənd 

-kənt

: one thousandth of a second

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A millisecond isn't long enough for the blink of an eye, but a few milliseconds may determine the winner of a swim race or a hundred-yard dash. With the ever-increasing speed of modern technology, even a millisecond has started to seem a little sluggish; computer operations are now measured in nanoseconds—that is, billionths of a second.

Examples of millisecond in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In this scenario, organizations implementing edge-native security have reported reducing response times from minutes to milliseconds for threat detection while significantly decreasing operational complexity. —Rafael Umann, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Instead of thinking of miles per hour, start thinking about milliseconds. —Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025

One of the two papers published on Wednesday looks at the polarization of the photons in the burst itself, finding that the angle of polarization changes rapidly over the 2.5 milliseconds that FRB 20221022A lasted. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2025

Okay, so maybe men have fallen behind for a cosmic millisecond, after millennia of reaping the patriarchy’s rewards. —Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmil-ə-ˌsek-ənd 

 also  -ənt

: one thousandth of a second

Medical Definition

millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmil-ə-ˌsek-ənd, -ənt 

: one thousandth of a second

—abbreviation ms, msec