Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

microsecond

American  
[mahy-kruh-sek-uhnd] / ˈmaɪ krəˌsɛk ənd /

noun

  1. a unit of time equal to one millionth of a second. μsec


microsecond British  
/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌsɛkənd /

noun

  1. μs. one millionth of a second

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

microsecond Scientific  
/ mī′krō-sĕk′ənd /
  1. A unit of time equal to one millionth (10 - 6) of a second.


Etymology

Origin of microsecond

First recorded in 1905–10; micro- + second 2


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In practice some firms access it first, and transmit it to traders who are able to exploit microsecond advantages over others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

For example, 5G communication systems require timing accuracy within a tenth of a microsecond.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 30, 2025

Then, he recalled, "they would play the points" in endless takes -- with or without the ball -- repeating choreography timed "down to the microsecond".

From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025

They’re executing millions of trades on microsecond timescales using signals derived from petabytes of data.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 15, 2025

Mr. Flux pressed the shutter button, and a sun-bright flash obliterated shadows for a microsecond.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training