Phrase guide

response time

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The period of time between the application of a stimulus and the associated response from a cell or tissue.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The time taken for a person (or human-controlled system) to respond to a request.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The time taken for the display of an instrument to move to a new value following a step change.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The period of time between a request for a service and the associated response; typically the request is caused by a user at a terminal hitting the return key, and the response is displayed on a screen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the time that elapses between a stimulus and the response to it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reaction time, latency, latent period

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: time interval, interval

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Spanish: tiempo responsivo — time between stimulus and cell or tissue response
  • Finnish: vastausaika — time between request and human response
  • Portuguese: tempo de resposta — time between request and human response
  • Spanish: tiempo responsivo — time between request and human response
  • Finnish: vasteaika — time between step change and instrument display update
  • Portuguese: tempo de resposta — time between step change and instrument display update
  • Spanish: tiempo responsivo — time between step change and instrument display update
  • Finnish: vasteaika — time between request and computer service response
  • Portuguese: tempo de resposta — time between request and computer service response
  • Spanish: tiempo responsivo — time between request and computer service response