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microsecond

American  
[mahy-kruh-sek-uhnd] / ˈmaɪ krəˌsɛk ənd /

noun

  1. a unit of time equal to one millionth of a second. μsec

microsecond British  
/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌsɛkənd /

noun

  1.  μs.  one millionth of a second

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
microsecond Scientific  
/ mī′krō-sĕk′ənd /

  1. A unit of time equal to one millionth (10 - 6) of a second.

Etymology

Origin of microsecond

First recorded in 1905–10; micro- + second 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Then, he recalled, "they would play the points" in endless takes -- with or without the ball -- repeating choreography timed "down to the microsecond".

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

They’re executing millions of trades on microsecond timescales using signals derived from petabytes of data.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025

Fin Smith delayed his pass a crucial microsecond to allow Elliot Daly, gleaming in his fresh white shirt having only left the bench three minutes earlier, to slice through on a delicious wrap-around line.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2025

They then published in 2020 a paper in Nature showing how bolometers made of graphene can shorten readout times to well below a microsecond.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024

Whatever the scientific theory, I loved the idea of creating my own mini twinkling star, even if it only lasted for a microsecond.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.