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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

It has built a mechanical hand that can translate a teachers' voice into sign language in real time, allowing deaf children to learn alongside their hearing counterparts.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

But the blowback has only catapulted in the era of social media, where millions of viewers from across the globe can drag award show hosts for filth in real time.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Seeing how they tidied up after themselves in real time Saturday, you probably believe — to use Chesney’s word — they can get it done.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

I’m a politics nerd who will be watching tonight’s election returns in real time, but I sincerely hope you won’t feel compelled to do the same.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

The beginning and end in real time can be very different from each other.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

We could be seeing this in real-time this year.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

Alif’s microcontrollers and fusion processors enable real-time sensor fusion, low-latency inference and on-device AI, bringing advanced intelligence to demanding physical systems, Analog Devices said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Cook’s personality was on full display when Dailey set up a technical demo for a senior government official involving the Vcommunicator, a late-2000s-era iPod Touch with specialized real-time translation software.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

One possible long-term remedy might be river level gauges that relay changes to authorities in real-time, giving residents 20-30 minutes of warning, he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Halliday had transformed a fifty-year-old film into a real-time interactive videogame.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline