millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmi-lə-ˌse-kənd 

-kənt

: one thousandth of a second

Did you know?

A millisecond isn't long enough for the blink of an eye, but a few milliseconds may determine the winner of a swim race or a hundred-yard dash. With the ever-increasing speed of modern technology, even a millisecond has started to seem a little sluggish; computer operations are now measured in nanoseconds—that is, billionths of a second.

Examples of millisecond in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In terms of total latency between 4K60 and 1080p120, the Roku Pro Series beats the U6SF Pro by a fifth of a millisecond, earning our latest PCMag Lab Award for lowest input lag. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026

So can throw pitches that rise, sink or swerve at a velocity that gives the hitters a millisecond to process, usually with exceptional accuracy. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

For a millisecond, Bowen Yang and I swapped places—leaving me on the receiving end of his applause rather than the other way around. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026

However, the researchers built the resonator to have a ‘ring’ time of just two milliseconds. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for millisecond

• femtosecond
• microsecond
• nanosecond
• picosecond
• beckoned
• reckoned
• second
• seconde

Kids Definition

millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmil-ə-ˌsek-ənd 

also -ənt

: one thousandth of a second

Medical Definition

millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmil-ə-ˌsek-ənd, -ənt 

: one thousandth of a second

—abbreviation ms, msec