: of, relating to, being, or done with an instrument (such as a mass spectrometer) that separates particles (such as ions) according to the time required for them to traverse a tube of a certain length

Examples of time-of-flight in a Sentence

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.
Integrated sensors are used both for feedback control and user input: time-of-flight sensors provide the position of each finger and an IMU provides overall orientation tracking. Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2016 Most early automotive lidars, like most early radars, used what is called time-of-flight (ToF) detection. Michael Watts, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2023 For this application, many consumer electronics companies use a time-of-flight system, which has two optical components: one that transmits light and one that receives it. IEEE Spectrum, 21 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of time-of-flight was in 1945

Dictionary Entries Near time-of-flight

Cite this Entry

“Time-of-flight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time-of-flight. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

time-of-flight

adjective
: of, relating to, being, or done with an instrument (as a mass spectrometer) that separates particles (as ions) according to the time required for them to traverse a tube of a certain length
a time-of-flight imaging system
time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography
abbreviation TOF
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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