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• real time
  real time

  noun

  the actual time elapsed in the performance of a computation by a computer, the result of the computation being required for the continuation of a physical process.
• real-time
  real-time

  adjective

  of or relating to applications in which the computer must respond as rapidly as required by the user or necessitated by the process being controlled.

real time

¹ American  

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

1. Computers. the actual time elapsed in the performance of a computation by a computer, the result of the computation being required for the continuation of a physical process.

2. the actual time during which a process takes place or an event occurs.

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idioms

1. in real time, at once; instantaneously.

real-time ² American  

[ree-uhl-tahym, reel-] / ˈri əlˈtaɪm, ˈril- /

adjective

Computers.

1. of or relating to applications in which the computer must respond as rapidly as required by the user or necessitated by the process being controlled.

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real-time British  

adjective

1. denoting or relating to a data-processing system in which a computer receives constantly changing data, such as information relating to air-traffic control, travel booking systems, etc, and processes it sufficiently rapidly to be able to control the source of the data

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real-time Cultural  

1. A term used to describe computer systems that update information at the same rate as they receive data.

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Etymology

Origin of real time

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Satellite, sensors and other technology not existent in 2020 are tracking inventories in real time and also keeping tabs on tanker movements and flows.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

This week, Rachel Ensign looks at how the Graybills and others are passing down their wealth in real time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

First, the personal saving rate is notorious for being revised up because the government tends to undercount incomes in real time...

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Prices adjust in real time, increasing when interest surges.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

It had always seemed unfathomable to her, choosing a career where all you did was put yourself out in front of hundreds or thousands of people and risked rejection in real time.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon