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second

second

543 1.0
A very short time
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛkənd/
  • Informal
translation icon : momento
  • close your eyes for a couple of seconds, Eliza.
  • a few seconds
  • split second
  • fraction of a second

So let's just take a second and close our eyes.

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Examples

  • OK, now you might say wait a second, why?

  • Just take that one second to turn your head and look.

  • And that took what, a second less than a second?

  • Whoa, whoa, wait a second... what are we talking about here?

  • Note that 30 seconds is a very short amount of time to get a message across.

    Academic text (2008)
  • So let's just take a second and close our eyes.

  • That will last about two seconds.

  • For about 15 seconds there, we were actually playing tennis, and we understood each other completely.

  • I'm going to go to the bookstore for a second

  • Just take that one second to turn your head and look.

Synonyms

bit
vssecond
1.0

A small piece or amount of something, for example food

is specifically about a very short time period rather than any small amount
moment
vssecond
1.0

A very short time or a particular point in time

focuses on brief duration rather than highlighting a specific time point
instant
vssecond
232 1.0

A very short moment that passes quickly

is similar but more general about a short period rather than speed
split second
vssecond
43 2.5

A very short moment when something happens

is a very short period but less focused on sudden immediate timing
mo
vssecond
  • UK
35 9.9

A very short time, like a moment, used in informal speech

is a clear short period rather than a vague or unspecified one
wink
vssecond
  • Informal
22 4.9

A very short time like a moment

is the general short time idea rather than a playful small measure
half a mo
vssecond
  • UK
1 9.6

A very short time, like a few moments

is the neutral short time concept not marked as informal speech

Antonyms

age
332 7.7

A very long time

224 5.8

Time that never ends, often imagined after death

Idioms

75 1.2

Ask someone to wait for a short time

After thinking again, you change your mind

second nature
  • Informal
15 3.5

A habit or skill that feels automatic after a lot of practice

second fiddle
  • Informal
8 6.0

A person who has a less important role and helps someone more important

1 2.5

All the time without stopping

1 3.5

Time is very important when you need help fast

Compounds

223 2.3

An opportunity to try again after making a mistake

160 1.6

The later part of a game after halftime

Doubts or a change of mind about a decision you already made

A worldwide war from 1939 to 1945 between the Allies and the Axis

46 2.4

A student in their second year at high school or university

43 2.5

A very short moment when something happens

A thought that makes you doubt or change a decision you already made

A person who helps the leader and takes charge if they are away

23 4.4

Not as good as the best, often cheap or simple

21 2.8

A child of your parent's first cousin who shares your great-grandparents but not your grandparents

19 2.2

Not new, bought from someone who owned it before

16 4.4

A player who stands near second base and catches or throws the ball to get runners out

16 8.0

A stage in a relationship when people touch above the waist

Another language a person learns after their native language

second mortgage
  • Specialized
15 4.9

An extra loan on a house that already has a mortgage

12 3.7

Next in quality or rank after the best

11 2.7

The part of a sports game that comes after the first part

10 3.7

The second of four bases a runner touches when running to score

The return of Jesus Christ to earth to judge people at the end of the world

9 4.2

A player who stands near second base and catches or stops ground balls

second-degree burn
  • Specialized
9 3.4

A skin injury that causes painful blisters and redness

8 1.8

A person or team that finishes second in a competition

second wind
  • Informal
8 4.2

A new burst of energy that lets you keep going when you are tired

second trimester
  • Specialized
8 3.1

A period of pregnancy from week 13 to week 27

One of thirty-two equal parts of a whole

6 2.6

The hand on a clock that shows seconds

A junior officer with the lowest rank in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps

second person
  • Specialized
6 3.0

Words that refer to the person or people you speak to, for example 'you'

5 3.3

Information received through another person rather than directly

A meeting of Catholic Church leaders from 1962 to 1965 that changed worship and encouraged talks with other Christian churches

A result when someone comes second in a competition

A measure of speed that shows how many kilometers something moves in one second

second banana
  • Informal
4 7.6

A person who supports the main performer, often in comedy

4 3.2

Cheaper seats or rooms on transport with fewer services than first class

4 7.0

Energy naturally spreads from hot places to cold ones, increasing disorder

3 2.5

A car setting used after first for low to medium speed and more power

second sight
  • Literature
3 9.9

To see or know things before they happen

A shop that sells used things at low prices

2 4.1

A unit for frequency equal to one complete cycle in one second

2 7.7

The second time lawmakers discuss and vote on a proposed law

A woman who cares for someone like a mother, often with or instead of their own mother

A group of players who replace the usual starters during a game

Christians believe Jesus will return to earth to judge people

1 7.7

A period in old age when mental decline makes a person behave like a young child

second deck
  • Specialized
1 6.0

An upper covered area that runs the full length of a large ship

A player who does not usually play but replaces others when needed

1 7.5

A player who usually sits on the bench and replaces others during games

1 1.0

Coming after the forty-first in a series

leap second
  • Specialized
1 6.8

An extra second added to clocks so they match how fast the Earth turns

1 3.0

By a cheaper travel or mail service that is slower than first class

1 3.8

A category below the highest level in rank or quality

A young forest that came back after the original trees were cut or burned

second power
  • Specialized
1 3.2

The result of multiplying a number by itself

bits per second
  • Specialized
1 2.8

A unit that shows how many small pieces of information called bits are sent every second

Newton's second law
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A rule that shows how force, mass and acceleration relate

The return of Jesus Christ to earth to judge all people

second-rater
  • Offensive
1 8.2

A person who is not as good as others at their work

two-second rule
  • Informal
1 5.3

A belief that food dropped on the floor for less than two seconds is still safe to eat

A measure of how many billion math calculations a computer does each second

ampere-second
  • Specialized
5.5

A unit of electric charge equal to one coulomb

Euclid's second axiom
  • Specialized
9.9

A rule that you can extend any straight line without end in both directions

A very distant relative who shares an ancestor 42 generations back

7.2

A unit equal to one thousand cycles per second, now called kilohertz

light second
  • Specialized
6.7

The distance light travels in one second in empty space, about 300,000 kilometers

6.2

A unit equal to one million cycles per second for measuring radio frequencies

A measure of how fast a computer does one million math calculations each second

A unit for measuring how fast a computer processor runs, equal to one million instructions per second

4.9

A measure of cycles per second equal to one billion

Kepler's second law
  • Specialized
7.9

A planet's line to the sun covers equal areas in equal times

A rule that a force changes an object's motion more when the force is bigger or the object is lighter

One of thirty-two equal parts of a whole

A Christian group that believes Christ will return soon

A person who belongs to a Christian group that believes Christ will return soon

How Long

minute
1.0
moment
1.0
second
  • Informal
543 1.0
instant
232 1.0

Surface Forms

second singular
seconds plural

Etymology

Second as 'a very short time' comes from the time unit second, used here as a quick, informal way to say 'a moment', so saying 'I'll be there in a second' means 'in a short while'.