split second
noun
a fraction of a second.
an infinitesimal amount of time; instant; twinkling.
Origin of split second
First recorded in 1880–85
OTHER WORDS FROM split second
split-sec·ond, adjectiveWords nearby split second
Example sentences from the Web for split second
British Dictionary definitions for split second
split second
noun
an extremely small period of time; instant
adjective split-second (prenominal)
made or arrived at in an infinitely short time
a split-second decision
depending upon minute precision
split-second timing
Idioms and Phrases with split second
split second
An instant, a fraction of a second, as in Our best swimmer came in a split second before theirs. This expression alludes to a stop watch that has two second hands, one above the other, for timing more than one athlete or intervals of a race by a single athlete. Each hand can be stopped independently of the other, so a second can be “split” when one second hand stops a fraction of a second after the other. [c. 1880]