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

Unlike fast radio bursts, which are millisecond-long flashes of light with dubious origins, a type II radio burst occurs over minutes, Callingham said. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025

When a ripple bug dips them into the water, surface tension causes stiff fronds at the ends to fan out in just 10 milliseconds, and the fans become oars. —Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025

In practice, these demos show neuromorphic AI achieving millisecond-range sensing and decision loops. —Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2025

The other thing, however, is her inability to play it cool for even a millisecond, after being busted by her owner. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 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