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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 system responded within milliseconds, fast enough to support real-time reactions such as pulling away from harmful contact or reducing applied force during interaction.
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New Atlas, 8 Feb. 2026
The system works with the active all wheel drive system to monitor wheel slip in milliseconds, redistributing power to the wheels with the most grip instantly.
—Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
According to Xueyong, Chery’s engineers had to overcome major hurdles involving millisecond-level response times, ultra-precise actuation, and the extreme reliability required for a safety-critical system.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
Searching for every inch, every millisecond of an advantage, her right arm clipped the fourth gate.
—Will Graves, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for millisecond
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New Atlas, 8 Feb. 2026
The system works with the active all wheel drive system to monitor wheel slip in milliseconds, redistributing power to the wheels with the most grip instantly.
—Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
According to Xueyong, Chery’s engineers had to overcome major hurdles involving millisecond-level response times, ultra-precise actuation, and the extreme reliability required for a safety-critical system.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
Searching for every inch, every millisecond of an advantage, her right arm clipped the fourth gate.
—Will Graves, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 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 14 Feb. 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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