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Synonyms

millisecond

American  
[mil-uh-sek-uhnd] / ˈmɪl əˌsɛk ənd /

noun

  1. one thousandth of a second. msec

millisecond British  
/ ˈmɪlɪˌsɛkənd /

noun

  1.  ms.  one thousandth 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

Etymology

Origin of millisecond

First recorded in 1905–10; milli- + 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.

“Even milliseconds or seconds of interrupted blood flow to the brain can have serious consequences,” Dr. Altaf Saadi, a neurologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, told us.

From Salon

They believe this approach can eventually be extended to store single photons for many milliseconds.

From Science Daily

Pulsars emit powerful beams of electromagnetic radiation from their magnetic poles at intervals measured in milliseconds.

From Science Daily

Algorithms may trade in milliseconds, but businesses still create value over years.

From MarketWatch

Algorithms may trade in milliseconds, but businesses still create value over years.

From MarketWatch

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.