less than one second

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less than one second" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a duration of time that is shorter than one second, often in contexts related to speed, performance, or timing. Example: "The reaction time of the athlete was measured at less than one second, showcasing their incredible reflexes."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The output files for small layer-based models are generated in less than one second on a desktop PC.

BMC Systems Biology

The satisfiability testing (e.g. Competency question 2) took less than one second on an Intel Core i7 Processor 820QM, 8 GB memory and 64-bit Windows.

Bioinformatics

Computing an alignment of 16 sequences with the length of 120-223 bases requires less than one second on a 3 GHz Pentium-4 PC.

Biology Direct

It's also very fast, able to check for the presence of cocaine on bank notes in less than one second.

The Guardian

The computation time is less than one second (including volume delineation) per ROI on an AMD Opteron Processor (model 8356, 2.3 GHz).

EJNMMI Research

It allows the formation of a stably pinned, plane liquid liquid interface in less than one second with a minimum shear flow.

Chemical Engineering Science

Analytical models based on the classical laminate theory deliver optimization results in less than one second.

Composite Structures

The method is very fast, taking less than one second per image and generating an average of 424 segments per image on the MSRC-21 dataset.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

"That's less than one second.

The New York Times - Magazine

Even less than one second.

The New York Times - Sports

All this had better take less than one second!

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing reaction times or processing speeds, use "less than one second" to emphasize the efficiency or speed of the action or process.

Common error

Avoid using "less than one second" when precision is needed. For highly accurate measurements, specify milliseconds or fractions of a second for clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "less than one second" functions as an adverbial phrase specifying the duration of an event or action. Ludwig's examples show it modifying verbs to indicate how quickly something occurs, for example, 'verification can be performed in less than one second'.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

61%

News & Media

31%

Academia

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "less than one second" is a grammatically correct and widely used phrase to describe extremely short durations. As noted by Ludwig, it frequently appears in scientific, news, and academic contexts to emphasize speed and efficiency. While versatile, it's important to consider whether milliseconds or fractions of a second would provide greater clarity when precision is critical. Alternative phrases like "under a second" or "almost instantly" can be used for variety, though they may convey slightly different nuances. With its frequent use in authoritative sources and clear communicative purpose, understanding how to effectively use "less than one second" will enhance your writing across various disciplines.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

under a second

Replaces "less than" with "under", maintaining the time frame.

fraction of a second

Emphasizes the brevity of the time period.

within a second

Indicates something happens before a full second has passed.

subsecond duration

Uses a more technical term to describe the time frame.

momentarily

Implies something happens very quickly.

instantaneously

Suggests an action occurs without any delay.

almost instantly

Similar to instantaneously, but with a slight implication it's not perfectly immediate.

in a flash

Uses a figurative expression to describe a very short time.

split-second

Highlights the speed and precision of an action.

one second or less

Reverses the order of the phrase.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "less than one second"?

You can use alternatives like "under a second", "fraction of a second", or "instantaneously depending on the context.

Is it more accurate to say "less than one second" or "within a second"?

Both phrases are generally correct, but "less than one second" implies a duration that is definitely shorter, while "within a second" could technically include the full second. The choice depends on the desired level of precision.

In what contexts is "less than one second" commonly used?

"Less than one second" is frequently used in scientific research to describe reaction times or processing speeds, in news reports to highlight the speed of events, and in technical specifications to indicate performance metrics.

What's the difference between "less than one second" and "almost instantly"?

"Less than one second" is a more precise measurement of time, whereas "almost instantly" is a more subjective description of speed that indicates near-immediate action, without a specific time frame.