nanosecond

noun

nano·​sec·​ond ˈna-nə-ˌse-kənd How to pronounce nanosecond (audio)
-kənt
1
: one billionth of a second
2
: a very brief moment

Did you know?

The nonserious use of nanosecond is probably much more common than the proper technical use. In measurement terms such as nanosecond, nanogram, and nanometer, nano- means "billionth;" in other kinds of words, its meaning isn't quite so precise. In computers, the speed of reading and writing to random access memory (RAM) is measured in nanoseconds. By comparison, the speed of reading or writing to a hard drive or a CD-ROM player, or for information to travel over the Internet, is measured in milliseconds (thousandths of a second), which are a million times longer than nanoseconds.

Examples of nanosecond in a Sentence

It happens in less than a nanosecond. a nanosecond was about all that it took her to accept his marriage proposal
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While incredibly bright, the event only lasted less than 30 nanoseconds. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 June 2025 The burst was less than 30 nanoseconds long — a remarkably short duration for any radio burst. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2025 None of its systems would have been capable of producing this nanosecond signal. Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 June 2025 Nuggets and Clippers players gazed up at the jumbotron together and tried to litigate the nanoseconds. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nanosecond

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nanosecond was in 1958

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Cite this Entry

“Nanosecond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nanosecond. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

nanosecond

noun
nano·​sec·​ond ˈnan-ə-ˌsek-ənd How to pronounce nanosecond (audio)
-ənt
: one billionth of a second

Medical Definition

nanosecond

noun
nano·​sec·​ond -ˌsek-ənd, -ənt How to pronounce nanosecond (audio)
: one billionth of a second
abbreviation ns, nsec
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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