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seconds
" It's a gamble you take, the risk of alienating an audience. But there's a theory - sometimes it's better to confuse them for five minutes than let them get ahead of you for 10 seconds."
Paul Thomas Anderson

Meaning of "seconds" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

PRONUNCIATION OF SECONDS

ˈsekəndz


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SECONDS

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Seconds is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SECONDS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Second

The second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units and is also a unit of time in other systems of measurement; it is the second division of the hour by sixty, the first division by 60 being the minute. Between AD 1000 and 1960 the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day. Between 1960 and 1967, it was defined in terms of the period of the Earth's orbit around the Sun in 1900, but it is now defined more precisely in atomic terms. Seconds may be measured using mechanical, electric or atomic clocks. Astronomical observations of the 19th and 20th centuries revealed that the mean solar day is slowly but measurably lengthening and the length of a tropical year is not entirely predictable either; thus the sun–earth motion is no longer considered a suitable basis for definition. With the advent of atomic clocks, it became feasible to define the second based on fundamental properties of nature. Since 1967, the second has been defined to be: the duration of 9192631770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom.

Definition of seconds in the English dictionary

The first definition of seconds in the dictionary is goods of inferior quality. Other definition of seconds is a second helping of food. Seconds is also the second course of a meal; dessert.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH SECONDS

diamonds · Highlands · Hollands · Islands · Lowlands · Midlands · Netherlands · Newlands · Symonds · thousands · uplands · viands

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SECONDS

secondary modern school · secondary picket · secondary picketing · secondary processes · secondary product · secondary qualities · secondary road · secondary school · secondary school teacher · secondary sexual characteristic · secondary stress · secondary tumour · seconde · secondee · seconder · secondi · secondly · secondment · secondo · secpar

WORDS THAT END LIKE SECONDS

bands · Bonds · Cayman Islands · chopped almonds · ends · flaked almonds · funds · grounds · hands · in good hands · lands · managed bonds · marriage bonds · Marshall Islands · premium bonds · Premium Savings Bonds · Redwood seconds · Saybolt universal seconds · Solomon Islands · sounds

Synonyms and antonyms of seconds in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «SECONDS»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «seconds» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «seconds» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF SECONDS

Find out the translation of seconds to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of seconds from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «seconds» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

segundos
570 millions of speakers
en

English

seconds
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

सेकंड
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

ثانية
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

секунд
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

segundos
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

সেকেন্ড
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

secondes
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

Detik
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

Sekunden
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Detik
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

giây
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

விநாடிகள்
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

सेकंद
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

saniye
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

secondi
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

sekund
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

секунд
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

secunde
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δευτερόλεπτα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

sekondes
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

sekunder
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

sekunder
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of seconds

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SECONDS»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of seconds
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «seconds».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about seconds

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «SECONDS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word seconds.
1
Elliott Abrams
First impressions matter. Experts say we size up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes.
2
Paul Thomas Anderson
It's a gamble you take, the risk of alienating an audience. But there's a theory - sometimes it's better to confuse them for five minutes than let them get ahead of you for 10 seconds.
3
Criss Angel
Picking locks or handcuffs for me is not really a big deal, I can do it pretty much in seconds, I've been doing since I was 14 years old. I used to sit on my bed as a kid with a pick set and you know just picking locks and stuff, so I'm used to it.
4
Benjamin Banneker
Standing at my door, I heard the discharge of a gun, and in four or five seconds of time, after the discharge, the small shot came rattling about me, one or two of which struck the house; which plainly demonstrates that the velocity of sound is greater than that of a cannon bullet.
5
Ellen Barkin
I'm not limited by my gender, and I don't think anyone else should be either. Because I am the age I am and I sort of rode the crest of the first profound post-suffragette feminists, I wasn't fighting to burn my bra. Those women fought that fight just seconds before I came into womanhood.
6
John Barrowman
When I was younger I wanted to be an airline pilot, but that lasted for about 30 seconds.
7
Jason Bateman
Tony Hale is a devout Christian and is a complete retard when it comes to swearing. The script called for him to swear for about 30 seconds and he just couldn't do it.
8
Paul Bettany
Up until like five seconds ago, I just took what jobs came along.
9
Bonnie Blair
I was really happy with my race, though. I beat my personal best by 1.2 seconds.
10
Ozwald Boateng
In Los Angeles, I'm always in Fred Segal. It's become a ritual. I have lunch and then buy lots of things I don't need. Usually tons of clothes for the kids that they grow out of in 10 seconds.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SECONDS»

Discover the use of seconds in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to seconds and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
15 Seconds
‘A total white knuckle stay-up-all-night thrill ride’ (Harlan Coben) from the bestselling author of Reckless and Killing Hour. Fifteen seconds can tear a life apart..
Andrew Gross, 2012
2
Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph
In this heartfelt testament to the power of love and the strength of the human spirit, Travis Roy, who suffered a devastating injury eleven seconds into his first college hockey game, reveals how he has managed to cope after the accident ...
Travis Roy, E. M. Swift, 2008
3
8 Seconds
Tells the story of Lane Frost, who became world's champion bull rider at the age of twenty-three
Charlie McDade, 1994
4
Sloppy Seconds: The Tucker Max Leftovers
As a thank you to those who have loved the stories and supported him for so long, Tucker has gone back through his massive archive of material one last time, culled out what you might call the "best of the rest," and arranged it here, in ...
Tucker Max, 2012
5
Life in Five Seconds: Over 200 Stories for Those With No ...
This is the perfect book for anyone with a sense of humour... and a short attention span.
Matteo Civaschi, Gianmarco Milesi, 2012
6
Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything
One, our life is about to change. And two, it's a day we will not soon forget. Sixty Seconds is an uplifting collection of intimate, heartfelt stories from prominent people who graciously share their personal experiences with the profound.
Phil Bolsta, 2008
7
59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot
Or, as he likes to say: “Think a little, change a lot.” From the Hardcover edition.
Richard Wiseman, 2009
8
60 Seconds and You're Hired!
Now, in this new edition, America's top career coach Robin Ryan offers proven strategies to help readers take charge of the interview process and get the job they want.
Robin Ryan, 2008
9
Every Twelve Seconds
This is an account of industrialized killing from a participant's point of view.
Timothy Pachirat, 2011
10
Seven Seconds Or Less: My Season on the Bench with the ...
An award-winning Sports Illustrated writer recounts the championship 2005-2006 season with the popular NBA team, describing their revitalization of team play strategies, the contributions of such figures as Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni, and ...
Jack McCallum, 2007

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SECONDS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term seconds is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Report details final seconds before deadly F-16, Cessna crash
The pilot of an Air Force fighter jet was warned of "traffic" ahead moments before the spectacular midair crash of his F-16 and a single-engine Cessna over South ... «USA TODAY, Jul 15»
2
Here's What Happened At 5 Seconds Of Summer's U.S. Tour …
5 Seconds Of Summer's week was most assuredly better than anyone else's week (and definitely better than mine). On Friday (July 17), the Australian band ... «MTV.com, Jul 15»
3
5 Seconds of Summer guitarist okay after being burned in stage …
Michael Clifford, guitarist for 5 Seconds of Summer, suffered burns on his face during a Saturday concert at London's Wembley Arena after an onstage ... «Entertainment Weekly, Jun 15»
4
Yale beats Harvard by 17 seconds in 150th regatta
Yale finished almost 17 seconds ahead in the annual 4-mile race Sunday along Connecticut's Thames River. Yale coxswain Chris Carothers told The Boston ... «Washington Times, Jun 15»
5
There will be a rare 61-second minute on June 30
An additional second will be added on to the end of the day on June 30, ... These leap seconds are incorporated every few years, with 25 occurring since 1972. «AOL News, May 15»
6
Microsoft Study Finds Human Attention Span Has Dropped to Just 8 …
With the rise in digital technology, the human attention span has shortened from 12 seconds to eight seconds in more than a decade, a recent study by Microsoft ... «NDTV, May 15»
7
Berlin: Luke Evans Stars in Basil Iwanyk-Produced 'Three Seconds
Bloom has already announced sales rights at Berlin on “Jadotville,” a true event Congo-set battle actioner with Jamie Dornan (“Fifty Shades of Grey”) and ... «Variety, Feb 15»
8
Why the Upcoming 'Leap Second' Could Be a Big Headache for the …
Pop quiz: How many seconds are in a day? If you guessed 86,400, you'd be right—except on June 30, 2015, when an extra second is being added to the clock. «TIME, Jan 15»
9
WATCH 5 Seconds Of Summer Respond To Michael Clifford's …
WATCH 5 Seconds Of Summer Respond To Michael Clifford's Passport Drama! 7th December 2014, 18:01. Play. Calum, Luke and Ashton's Message For Mikey! «Capital FM, Dec 14»
10
5 Seconds Of Summer Celebrate Their 3 Year Anniversary – Congrats
It has been exactly 3 years since Ashton Irwin joined Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood and Michael Clifford to create a band that is now known as 5 Second Of ... «Hollywood Life, Dec 14»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Seconds [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/seconds>. Jun 2026 ».
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