second
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- next, following, subsequent, succeeding
- additional, alternative, extra, further, other
- inferior, lesser, lower, secondary, subordinate
[noun]
Synonyms:
- supporter, assistant, backer, helper
[verb]
Synonyms:
- support, approve, assist, back, endorse, go along with
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[noun]
moment, flash, instant, jiffy (informal), minute, sec (informal), trice

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Related Idioms: the flash of an eyelid

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English Thesaurus: time, occasion, moment, point, a long time, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. sec‧ond¹ S1 W1 /ˈsekənd/ number

1. the second person, thing, event etc is the one that comes after the first:
the Second World War
the second of August
a second year student
his second wife
Clinton’s second term in office
the second half of the year
the second time in three days

2. the position in a competition or scale that comes after the one that is the best, most successful etc:
She won second prize.
They climbed to second place in the League.
second largest/most successful etc
Africa’s second highest mountain
be second only to something (=used to emphasize that something is nearly the largest, most important etc)
The euro will have a circulation second only to that of the dollar.

3. another example of the same thing, or another in addition to the one you have:
We advertised for a second guitarist.
There was a second reason for his dismissal.
I asked the doctor for a second opinion (=when you ask another person to repeat an examination, test etc for you).

4. every second year/person/thing etc
a) the second, then the fourth, then the sixth year etc:
The nurse comes every second day.
b) used to emphasize that, in a group of similar things, there is too much of one particular thing:
Every second house seemed to be boarded up.

5. be second to none to be the best:
The quality of Britain’s overseas aid programme is second to none.

6. second chance help given to someone who has failed, in the hope that they will succeed this time:
I just want to give these kids a second chance.

7. have second thoughts to start having doubts about a decision you have made:
You’re not having second thoughts, are you?
have second thoughts about
She’d had second thoughts about the whole project.

8. on second thoughts British English, on second thought American English spoken used to say that you have changed your mind about something:
I’ll call her tomorrow – no, on second thought, I’ll try now.

9. not give something a second thought/without a second thought used to say that someone does not think or worry about something:
She dismissed the rumour without a second thought.

10. not give something a second glance/look (also without a second glance/look) to not look at something again, because you have not really noticed it or because it does not seem important:
No one gave the woman in the grey uniform a second glance.

11. be/become second nature (to somebody) something that is second nature to you is something you have done so often that you do it almost without thinking:
Driving becomes second nature after a while.

12. second wind a new feeling of energy after you have been working or exercising very hard, and had thought you were too tired to continue:
He got his second wind and ran on.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. second² S1 W2 noun
[Sense 1-3, 5: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: secunda, from secunda pars minuta 'second small part, one sixtieth of a minute', from Latin secundus; ⇒ second²]

1. [countable] a unit for measuring time. There are 60 seconds in a minute:
Hold your breath for six seconds.
The operation takes only 30 seconds.
Ultrasonic waves travel at around 300 metres per second.
within seconds (=after only a few seconds)
Within seconds, Bev called back.

2. [countable] a very short period of time:
I’ll be back in a second.
Just a second (=wait a moment), I’ll come and help.
At least 30 shots were fired in a matter of seconds (=in a very short time). ⇒ split second

3. (at) any second (now) used to say that something will or may happen extremely soon:
He should be here any second.

4. seconds [plural]
a) informal another serving of food, after you have eaten your first serving
b) clothes or other goods that are cheaper than usual because they are not perfect ⇒ second hand¹

5. [countable] technical one of the 60 parts into which a minute of an angle is divided. It can be shown as a symbol after a number. For example, 78° 52′ 11″ means 78 degrees 52 minutes 11 seconds.

6. [countable] someone who helps someone in a fight, especially in boxing or, in the past, a duel

7. [uncountable] American English informal second base

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. second³ /ˈsekənd/ adverb

1. [sentence adverb] used before you add information to what you have already said Synonym : secondly

2. next after the first one
come/finish etc second
I came second in the UK championships.
Tea is the most popular drink, while coffee ranks (=comes) second.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

IV. second⁴ verb [transitive]
to formally support a suggestion made by another person in a meeting ⇒ propose
second a motion/proposal/amendment etc

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

V. se‧cond⁵ /sɪˈkɒnd $ -ˈkɑːnd/ verb [transitive usually passive] British English
to send someone to do someone else’s job for a short time
be seconded to something
Jill’s been seconded to the marketing department while Dave’s away.
⇒ secondment

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

second
noun
I. very short moment of time
ADJ. brief, fleeting, split I only saw the man for a split second as he ran past.
single | heart-stopping For a heart-stopping second he thought he had lost his keys.
VERB + SECOND take This will only take a second.
have Do you have a second, Miss White?
wait Wait a second?this letter's been sent to me by mistake.
SECOND + VERB pass, tick by The seconds ticked by.
SECOND + NOUN hand
PREP. for a ~ For a second I thought you were my mother.
in a ~ I'll be with you in a second.
in/within ~s Within seconds he had disappeared from view.
PHRASES a fraction of a second If he'd reacted a fraction of a second later, he would surely have died.
a matter of seconds The end of the match is only a matter of seconds away.
 ⇒ Note at MEASURE

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

second
II. person/thing that comes next after the first
ADJ. close, good | bad, distant, poor | equal, joint | creditable, worthy The young German runner finished a creditable second.
VERB + SECOND come, finish
PREP. ~ to Sunny Boy came a close second to the winner.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

second
III. university degree
ADJ. lower, upper | good
VERB + SECOND be awarded, gain, get, obtain
PREP. ~ in He got a good second in history.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

time a time when something happens or when you should do something:
The last time I saw her she was in high school.
It’s time for you to go to bed.
The best time to visit Scotland is in late May.
occasion a time when something happens. Occasion is more formal than time:
They have been seen together on several occasions.
The last occasion the two teams met, the Giants won easily.
moment a particular point in time when something happens:
At that moment (=at exactly that time), the door bell rang.
The next moment she was gone.
point a particular time during a longer period of time:
At one point during the play she completely forgot her lines.
the lowest point of the holiday
a long time a long period of time, especially many months or years:
They’ve been married a long time – nearly 30 years.
The house has been empty for a long time.
all day/night/year/week continuing for the whole day, night, year etc – used especially to emphasize that it is a long time:
It’s going to take me all night to finish this essay.
He’s in London all week, and only comes home at the weekends.
hours/weeks/months/years many hours, weeks, months, or years – used to emphasize that it is a long time, or much longer than it should be:
It’s years since I rode a bike.
My wife had to wait months for a hospital appointment.
ages especially British English informal a very long time:
I’ve been standing here for ages.
The software takes ages to load.
They’ve lived there for ages.
a while (also some time) a fairly long time:
I hadn’t seen Paul for a while, and he’d completely changed.
It may be some time before the company starts to make a profit.
the longest time American English a very long time:
For the longest time, my daughter wasn’t reading at all.
It took me the longest time to figure out how to work the sunroof in this car.
a minute/moment a short time:
I’ll call you back in a minute.
Can I show you something? It will only take a moment.
a second a very short time:
I’ll be ready in a second.
Just a second – I can’t find my wallet.
an instant written a very short time:
In an instant, they were gone.
He paused for an instant.
a little while/a short while a short period of time, especially a few hours, days, or weeks:
I’ve been to Tokyo, but I was only there for a short while.
I saw him a little while ago.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

second
̈ɪˈsekənd
See: play second piddle , split second

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲