response time
Americannoun
-
Psychology. the time consumed in making a response.
-
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.
According to data recently released by the city in a public records request, the average response time for the department for a Priority 2 was more than two hours as recently as March.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
"Not only will the Welsh Ambulance Service continue to be understaffed and likely continue to miss key life-saving response time targets, but taxpayers are footing the bill," he said.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 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
Such response time is a major incentive for programmers to write programs that are not well-behaved.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.
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.
