reaction time
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of reaction time
First recorded in 1875–80
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.
Researchers found no significant differences between the groups on tests of reaction time or multitasking.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The condition could explain why Isak’s knee collapsed, his inability to correct his posture and reduced his reaction time during a fall, Jonathan’s lawyers said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
While Singapore-based Sharpa already offers a convincing humanoid table tennis robot with a reaction time of just two hundredths of a second, there is no equivalent on the market for tennis.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
"The Environment Agency must act now, not in months or years, which is their usual reaction time."
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
For all his contributions, Broadbent’s assumption turned out to be simplistic in much the same way that, before Helmholtz, people thought reaction time was immediate, infinite.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
