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• real time
  real time

  noun

  the actual time elapsed in the performance of a computation by a computer, the result of the computation being required for the continuation of a physical process.
• real-time
  real-time

  adjective

  of or relating to applications in which the computer must respond as rapidly as required by the user or necessitated by the process being controlled.

real time

¹ American  

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

real times plural

1. Computers. the actual time elapsed in the performance of a computation by a computer, the result of the computation being required for the continuation of a physical process.

2. the actual time during which a process takes place or an event occurs.

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idioms

1. in real time, at once; instantaneously.

real-time ² American  

[ree-uhl-tahym, reel-] / ˈri əlˈtaɪm, ˈril- /

adjective

Computers.

1. of or relating to applications in which the computer must respond as rapidly as required by the user or necessitated by the process being controlled.

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real-time British  

adjective

1. denoting or relating to a data-processing system in which a computer receives constantly changing data, such as information relating to air-traffic control, travel booking systems, etc, and processes it sufficiently rapidly to be able to control the source of the data

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real-time Cultural  

1. A term used to describe computer systems that update information at the same rate as they receive data.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• real times
  plural

Etymology

Origin of real time

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

real time real-time

Surgeons woke Tilly for about 30 minutes so they could map those parts of her brain in real time and protect vital tissue while removing the malformation.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

This means Mr. Burnham now must field-test, in real time, the policy ideas that normally would experience their first messy contact with reality on a campaign trail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Sophia was processing this all in real time, both as a subject and a co-director.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The company currently manages over 7 billion devices in real time.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

In real time, the interview lasted three minutes.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Similar to the suited "Moonikin" manikin flown aboard Orion during the uncrewed Artemis I mission, the low-fidelity simulator will send back real-time information about conditions inside the Blue Moon cabin.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Buyers will get “a direct, licensed, real-time feed of the platform’s most market-moving Truths.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Mr. McMillon ran one of the world’s largest businesses that relies on real-time data on consumer purchases, supply chains, prices and labor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The SSA currently does not provide the same detailed, real-time metrics as it did in the past, providing only snapshots of its performance instead of running updated tabulations of caseloads, timings and backlogs, analysts said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

And suddenly I see New York as something different: a cruel, real-time video game, where you might get second chances but you only get one life.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle