response time
Americannoun
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Psychology. the time consumed in making a response.
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Computers. the time that elapses while waiting for a computer to respond to a command.
noun
Etymology
Origin of response time
First recorded in 1955–60
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 speed with which that data moves between processors and memory chips governs the latency, or response time, for a query.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
The Scottish Ambulance Service records the median weekly response time by a prioritised colour-coded system.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
"Our approach cleverly integrates near-perfect absorbers and super-thin pyroelectrics to achieve a response time of 125 picoseconds, which is a huge improvement for the field."
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
He added that state and local police have improved their response time to removing protest barricades and driving away protesters trying to disrupt DHS operations.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026
And that the same results are obtained each time the experiment is repeated under similar conditions, shows that this recording of the response time is a scientific phenomenon.
From Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose His Life and Speeches by Bose, Jagadis Chandra, Sir
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.
