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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 extreme conditions place tremendous stress on materials and components, while demanding highly precise fuel injection systems that can operate in less than a millisecond.
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Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
The trade itself happens in milliseconds, but the actual exchange of cash for shares doesn't happen until the next business day.
—Sharat Priya, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Organizations must process behavioral data in milliseconds to separate real customers from sophisticated threats.
—Ethan Stone, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Several of them were used to fire at precise milliseconds to trigger the explosion and launch the spacecraft.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for millisecond
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Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
The trade itself happens in milliseconds, but the actual exchange of cash for shares doesn't happen until the next business day.
—Sharat Priya, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Organizations must process behavioral data in milliseconds to separate real customers from sophisticated threats.
—Ethan Stone, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Several of them were used to fire at precise milliseconds to trigger the explosion and launch the spacecraft.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for millisecond
Cite this Entry
“Millisecond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/millisecond. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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