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Showing results for millisecond. Search instead for milliseconds.
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.

See Examples For:

David Mackenzie’s “Fuze” springs to life in a millisecond.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 23, 2026

"I would say they were a millisecond, like the fastest a camera shutter can open and close," added Wiseman, who said the flashes were "white to bluish white."

From Barron's Apr. 8, 2026

“As a user,” Krug argues, “I should never have to devote a millisecond of thought to whether things are clickable—or not.”

From Slate Apr. 4, 2026

A millisecond used to be a big deal for the world’s quickest traders.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 16, 2025

Seeing how my hands were occupied, my face sort of broke the fall, hitting the wall first, a millisecond before my foot slipped into the brimming trough.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

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