Definition of SYNCHRONOUS

Choose the Right Synonym for synchronous

contemporary, contemporaneous, coeval, synchronous, simultaneous, coincident mean existing or occurring at the same time. contemporary is likely to apply to people and what relates to them. Abraham Lincoln was contemporary with Charles Darwin contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people. contemporaneous accounts of the kidnapping coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons. two stars thought to be coeval synchronous implies exact correspondence in time and especially in periodic intervals. synchronous timepieces simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time. the two shots were simultaneous coincident is applied to events and may be used in order to avoid implication of causal relationship. the end of World War II was coincident with a great vintage year

Did You Know?

Communications satellites are usually put into a synchronous (or geosynchronous) orbit, circling the earth once every 24 hours and so appearing to hover over a single spot on the surface. This type of synchronized movement is important, since you have to know where to aim your satellite dish. In the computer field, synchronous usually refers to the use of a simple timing signal that permits very rapid exchange of data between computers. The kind of mysterious coincidence sometimes called synchronicity—such as the appearance of two different comic-strip characters named Dennis the Menace in the U.S. and Britain within three days of each other in 1951—has fascinated people for centuries.

Examples of synchronous in a Sentence

the synchronous arrival of a baby sister and loss of a beloved grandmother strongly affected the child

Recent Examples on the Web Neurons in our brains fire in synchronous patterns to operate our bodies and minds, and pacemaker cells in our hearts sync up to generate the beat. — Wired, "The Math of How Crickets, Starlings, and Neurons Sync Up," 7 Apr. 2019 Neurons in our brains fire in synchronous patterns to operate our bodies and minds, and pacemaker cells in our hearts sync up to generate the beat. — Natalie Wolchover, WIRED, "The Math of How Crickets, Starlings, and Neurons Sync Up," 7 Apr. 2019 Evidence for synchronous, hemispherewide droughts first emerged in a 1994 study in Nature, which documented dead tree stumps in the middle of lakes and rivers in both Patagonia and California’s Sierra Nevada. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "A warning from ancient tree rings: The Americas are prone to catastrophic, simultaneous droughts," 31 Dec. 2019 Neurons in our brains fire in synchronous patterns to operate our bodies and minds, and pacemaker cells in our hearts sync up to generate the beat. — Natalie Wolchover, WIRED, "The Math of How Crickets, Starlings, and Neurons Sync Up," 7 Apr. 2019 Neurons in our brains fire in synchronous patterns to operate our bodies and minds, and pacemaker cells in our hearts sync up to generate the beat. — Wired, "The Math of How Crickets, Starlings, and Neurons Sync Up," 7 Apr. 2019 Neurons in our brains fire in synchronous patterns to operate our bodies and minds, and pacemaker cells in our hearts sync up to generate the beat. — Quanta Magazine, "Scientists Discover Exotic New Patterns of Synchronization," 4 Apr. 2019 Even with the cost of maintaining four satellites in geo-synchronous orbit, SiriusXM comes out ahead. — Glenn Peoples, Billboard, "Will the SiriusXM-Pandora Merger Pay Off? Drake and U2 Are Aboard, But Rocky Waters May Lie Ahead," 13 Dec. 2019 Much like the synchronization of the string section and French horns in an orchestra, synchronous brain rhythms could potentially couple neurons in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus together for the mouse to learn to fear a particular location. — R. Douglas Fields, Scientific American, "Deeper Insights Emerge into How Memories Form," 18 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'synchronous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.