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reaction time

American  

noun

Psychology.
  1. the interval between stimulation and response.


reaction time British  

noun

  1. physiol another name for latent time

"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 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

“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

But if the exchanges are open when news arrives, reaction time may become more important.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

They identified 29 defined cell types, including immune cells that exhibited differences in their abundance and reaction time between age groups, and muscle stem cells that self-renew in youth but stall out as muscles age.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

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

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