millisecond

noun

mil·​li·​sec·​ond ˈmi-lə-ˌse-kənd 

-kənt

: one thousandth of a second

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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

The design calls for battery energy storage systems to handle short-term fluctuations with millisecond response, while hydrogen reserves provide long-duration, seasonal backup through fuel cells and turbines. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025

The 100-Tesla field, which is about 2 million times as strong as Earth’s magnetic field, can be turned on for 15 milliseconds just once an hour. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025

But those who prefer to cable can do so over HDMI – with 19-millisecond input latency on offer for console gamers. —New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2025

The contact-free system allows for a millisecond detection speed per garment. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 24 Sep. 2025

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