Definition of 'second'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense seconds
, present participle seconding
, past tense, past participle seconded
2. ordinal number
Second is used before superlative adjectives to indicate that there is only one thing better or larger than the thing you are referring to.
3. adverb
You say second when you want to make a second point or give a second reason for something.
4. countable noun
In Britain, an upper second is a good honours degree and a lower second is an average honours degree.
6. countable noun [usually plural]
7. countable noun [usually plural]
The seconds of someone who is taking part in a boxing match or chess tournament are the people who assist and encourage them.
8. verb
9. verb
10.
See at second hand
11. See also second-hand
12.
See second to none
13.
14. second nature
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense seconds
, present participle seconding
, past tense, past participle seconded
verb [usually passive]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
You may also like
Word Frequency
second in British English 1
adjective (usually prenominal)
1.
a.
b.
(as noun)
the second in line
2.
rated, graded, or ranked between the first and third levels
8. music
a.
relating to or denoting a musical part, voice, or instrument lower in pitch than another
part, voice, or instrument (the first)
the second tenors
b.
of or relating to a part, instrument, or instrumentalist regarded as subordinate to another (the first)
the second flute
9. See at second hand
noun
10. British education
an honours degree of the second class, usually further divided into an upper and lower designation
Full term: second-class honours degree 11.
the lowest but one forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehicle
he changed into second on the bend
12.
13.
a speech seconding a motion or the person making it
14. music
b.
one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other
See also minor (sense 4), major (sense 14), interval (sense 5)15. (plural)
goods of inferior quality
17. (plural)
the second course of a meal
verb (transitive)
18.
to give aid or backing to
19.
(in boxing, etc) to act as second to (a competitor)
adverb
21. Also: secondly
in the second place
sentence connector
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
seconder (ˈseconder) noun
Word origin
C13: via Old French from Latin secundus coming next in order, from sequī to follow
Word Frequency
second in British English 2
noun
1.
a.
b.
the basic SI unit of time: the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of caesium-133
Symbol: s2.
1⁄60 of a minute of angle
Symbol: ″3.
a very short period of time; moment
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin pars minūta secunda the second small part (a minute being the first small part of an hour); see second1Word Frequency
second in British English 3
verb (transitive) British
1.
to transfer (an employee) temporarily to another branch, etc
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C19: from French en second in second rank (or position)
Word Frequency
second in American English 1
adjective
1.
coming next after the first in order of place or time; 2d or 2nd
3.
being of the same kind as another; resembling a given original
a second Shakespeare
4.
alternate; other
every second day
5.
next below the first in rank, power, value, merit, excellence, etc.
6.
inferior; subordinate; secondary
7. Music
a.
lower in pitch
b.
playing or singing a part that is lower in pitch
noun
8.
the next after the first
9.
any person, thing, class, place, etc. that is second
12.
13.
14.
the act or an instance of seconding
15. [pl.]
a second helping of something to eat
17. Music
a.
the second tone of an ascending diatonic scale, or a tone one degree above or below any given tone in such a scale
b.
the interval between two such tones, or a combination of them
c.
the second part in a harmonized composition, esp. the alto
d.
an instrument or voice taking this part
verb transitive
18.
to act as an aide or second to; aid; assist
19.
to give support or encouragement to; further; reinforce
20.
to indicate formally one's approval or support of (a motion, nomination, etc.) as a necessary preliminary to discussion of or a vote on it
adverb
21.
in the second place, rank, group, etc.
22.
next to or next after
the second last row
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
seconder (ˈseconder)
noun
Word Frequency
second in American English 2
noun
1.
a.
1⁄60 of a minute of time
3.
a very short period of time; moment; instant
4.
a specific point in time
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME seconde < ML (pars minuta) secunda, second (small part): from being a further division (i.e., beyond the minute) < L
secundus: see second1Word Frequency
second in American English 3
verb transitive British
1.
to transfer (a military officer) from regular service to special service, civil or
military
2.
to transfer (an official, employee, etc.) to a temporary assignment
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
secondment (seˈcondment)
noun
Word origin
< Fr en second, in second position
Word Frequency
second in American English 1
(ˈsekənd)
adjective
1.
next after the first; being the ordinal number for two
2.
being the latter of two equal parts
3.
next after the first in place, time, or value
the second house from the corner
4.
next after the first in rank, grade, degree, status, or importance
the second person in the company
5.
alternate
I have my hair cut every second week
6.
inferior
7. Grammar
noting or pertaining to the second person
8. Music
being the lower of two parts for the same instrument or voice
second horn
second alto
9.
other or another
a second Solomon
10. Automobiles
of, pertaining to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which drive shaft speed is greater than that of low gear but not so great as that of other gears for
a given engine crankshaft speed
second gear
noun
11.
a second part
12.
the second member of a series
13.
a person who aids or supports another; assistant; backer
15.
a person who serves as a representative or attendant of a duelist
16. Automobiles
second gear
17.
a person or thing that is next after the first in place, time, or value
18.
a person or thing that is next after the first in rank, grade, degree, status, or
importance
19. (usually seconds)
an additional helping of food
He had seconds on the meat and potatoes
20. (in parliamentary procedure)
a.
a person who expresses formal support of a motion so that it may be discussed or put
to a vote
b.
an act or instance of doing this
21. (in certain British universities)
a type or grade of college degree granted according to a student's performance on
specific written and oral examinations
22. Music
a.
a tone on the next degree from a given tone
b.
the interval between such tones
c.
the harmonic combination of such tones
d.
the lower of two parts in a piece of concerted music
e.
a voice or instrument performing such a part
f.
an alto
transitive verb
26.
to assist or support
27.
to further or advance, as aims
28. (in parliamentary procedure)
to express formal support of (a motion, proposal, etc.), as a necessary preliminary
to further discussion or to voting
29.
to act as second to (a boxer, duelist, etc.)
adverb
SYNONYMS 13. aide, helper, agent, deputy.30.
in the second place, group, etc.; secondly
The catcher is batting second
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
seconder noun
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME (adj., n. and adv.) ‹ OF (adj.) ‹ L secundus following, next, second, equiv. to sec- (base of sequī to follow) + -undus adj. suffix]Word Frequency
second in American English 2
(ˈsekənd)
noun
SYNONYMS 2. jiffy, trice, wink, flash.1.
the sixtieth part of a minute of time
2.
a moment or instant
It takes only a second to phone
3.
the basic unit of time in the International System of Units, equal to the duration
of 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation in a transition, or energy level change, of the cesium atom
Symbol: s, S. Abbreviation: sec.4. Geometry & Astronomy
the sixtieth part of a minute of angular measure, often represented by the sign ″,
as in 30″, which is read as 30 seconds
Compare angle1 (sense 1c)Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1350–1400; ME seconde ‹ MF ‹ ML secunda (minūta) second (minute), fem. of secundus second1]Word Frequency
second in American English 3
(sɪˈkɑnd)
transitive verb
Brit
to transfer (an officer, official, or the like) temporarily to another post
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1795–1805; ‹ F second, n. use of the adj. in the phrase en second, as in lieutenant en second second lieutenant; see second1]Word Frequency
second in Electrical Engineering
(sɛkənd) or s
Word forms: (regular plural) seconds
noun
(Electrical engineering: General)
A second is a unit of time, and one of the sixty parts that a minute is divided into.
In North America, electricity is generated at 60 Hz, which means that the electrons
move forward, then back again, 60 times in one second.
If the power comes from an alternating-current source like in most of today's homes
and offices in the United States, the poles will switch places 60 times a second.
A second is a unit of time, and one of the sixty parts that a minute is divided into.
Collins COBUILD Key Words for Electrical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'second' in a sentence
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In other languages
second
British English: second
/ˈsɛkənd/ ADJECTIVE
The second thing in a number of things is the one that you count as number two.
It was the second day of his holiday.
- American English: second /ˈsɛkənd/
- Arabic: ثانٍ
- Brazilian Portuguese: segundo
- Chinese: 第二的
- Croatian: drugi
- Czech: druhý
- Danish: anden
- Dutch: tweede
- European Spanish: segundo
- Finnish: toinen
- French: deuxième
- German: zweiter
- Greek: δεύτερος
- Italian: secondo
- Japanese: 二番目の
- Korean: 두 번째의
- Norwegian: andre
- Polish: drugi
- European Portuguese: segundo
- Romanian: al doilea
- Russian: второй
- Latin American Spanish: segundo sigue en orden a lo primero
- Swedish: andra två
- Thai: ที่สอง
- Turkish: ikinci
- Ukrainian: другий
- Vietnamese: thứ hai thứ tự
British English: second
/ˈsɛkənd/ NOUN
A second is an amount of time. There are sixty seconds in one minute.
For a few seconds nobody spoke.
- American English: second /ˈsɛkənd/
- Arabic: ثَانِيَة
- Brazilian Portuguese: segundo
- Chinese: 第二
- Croatian: sekunda
- Czech: vteřina
- Danish: sekund
- Dutch: seconde
- European Spanish: segundo
- Finnish: kakkonen
- French: seconde
- German: Sekunde
- Greek: δευτερόλεπτο
- Italian: secondo
- Japanese: 二番目
- Korean: 초 시간
- Norwegian: sekund
- Polish: sekunda
- European Portuguese: segundo
- Romanian: secundă
- Russian: второй
- Latin American Spanish: segundo sexagésima parte de un minuto
- Swedish: sekund
- Thai: วินาที
- Turkish: saniye
- Ukrainian: секунда
- Vietnamese: giây thứ tự
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Definition of second from the Collins English Dictionary
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