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.
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 reaction time, the way he’s able to change direction, the speed with which he accelerates, it’s different,” Fenton said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
“We had constant training exercises. Our reaction time was two minutes,” he says, with a hint of pride.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024
In the middle of the 1860s, Donders turned his attention to human reaction time.
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.
