nanosecond
noun
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The nonserious use of nanosecond is probably much more common than the proper technical use. In measurement terms such as nanosecond, nanogram, and nanometer, nano- means "billionth;" in other kinds of words, its meaning isn't quite so precise. In computers, the speed of reading and writing to random access memory (RAM) is measured in nanoseconds. By comparison, the speed of reading or writing to a hard drive or a CD-ROM player, or for information to travel over the Internet, is measured in milliseconds (thousandths of a second), which are a million times longer than nanoseconds.
Synonyms
Examples of nanosecond in a Sentence
Drew Goins, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
No one believed for a greased nanosecond that anyone in this cast was a high schooler.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 1 May 2024
An accounting revolution of that kind would be highly desirable, not only for society but also for shareholders, at least for those who care about more than what a firm’s share price will be for the next few nanoseconds.
—Diane Coyle, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2015
Don’t think for a nanosecond the prospects in this year’s NBA Draft class haven’t heard the noise from pundits, suggesting the collection of talent is among the worst in more than two decades.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for nanosecond 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nanosecond.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Nanosecond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nanosecond. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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nanosecond
noun
Medical Definition
nanosecond
noun
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