Meaning of second In English

• 0 immediately after the first and before any others:

  • Is Carla her first or second child?

  • This is the second time I've had flu this winter.

  • Today is the second (of March).

  • First prize is two weeks in Barbados and second prize is a weekend in Rome.

  • Jones took second place in the long jump.

  • St Petersburg is Russia's second (biggest/largest) city.

  • Iraq's oil reserves are second only to Saudi Arabia's.

  • She is often described as a second Marilyn Monroe.

  • You really should make the most of the opportunity, because you won't get a second chance.

  • Richard and Liz have a second home in the mountains.

  • Pay attention to what she's saying because she won't explain it a second time.

  • We've decided to hold the conference every second year.

• 1 after the first and before any others:

  • Robertson won the race and Cameron was/came/finished second.

  • In this business, money comes first and principles come a very poor second (= they are much less important).

  • There are two good reasons why we can't do it. First, we can't afford it, and second, we don't have time.

• 2 a short unit of time that is equal to a 60th of a minute:

  • There are 60 seconds in a minute.

  • These computers process millions of instructions per second.

  • The new system can trace a phone call in a fraction of a second.

  • "Come on, hurry up!" "I'll just/only be a second - I need to close the window."

  • Do you have a second, Paul? I need to talk to you.

  • It won't take a second (= it will be very quick).

  • Wait a couple of/a few seconds before trying again.

  • The second I saw him, I knew he was going to be a star.

• 3 the second person or thing to do or be something, or the second person or thing mentioned:

  • This is the second of the four tests.

  • Would anyone like seconds of ice cream?

• 4 the smallest unit used for measuring an angle:

  • There are 3,600 seconds in a degree.

• 5 a product that is sold cheaply because it is damaged or not in perfect condition

• 6 a person who takes care of someone who is fighting in a boxing competition or, in the past, in a duel (= organized fight)

• 7 in a vehicle, the gear that combines power with limited speed and is used when increasing or reducing speed:

  • You'll have to change (down/up) into second.

• 8 an undergraduate degree from a university in the UK and some other countries that is a good degree but not the best possible

• 9 →  second base

• 10 to make a formal statement of support for a suggestion made by someone else during a meeting so that there can be a discussion or vote:

  • The motion was proposed by the club's chairwoman and seconded by the secretary.

  • "I could use a drink." "I'll second that (= I agree with you)!"

• 11 to send an employee to work somewhere else temporarily, either to increase the number of workers or to replace other workers, or to exchange experience or skills:

  • During the dispute, many police officers were seconded from traffic duty to the prison service.

• 12 (a person or thing) coming immediately after the first:

  • He missed only 2 of 11 shots in the second half.

  • [ C ] Rent is due the second of every month.

• 13 any of the 60 parts that a minute is divided into:

  • She won by 22 seconds.

  • I’ll be back in a second.

• 14 to make a formal statement of support for a suggestion made by someone else during a meeting in order to allow a discussion or vote:

  • I second the motion to adjourn.

• 15 a product that is sold at a lower price than usual because it is damaged or not in perfect condition:

  • Many goods in sales are seconds.

• 16 to send an employee to work somewhere else temporarily, either to increase the number of workers there, to replace another worker, or to exchange experiences or skills:

  • be seconded to sth She was seconded to our department five months ago.

• 17 to make a formal statement of support for a suggestion made by someone else during a meeting so that there can be a discussion or vote:

  • second a motion The motion was proposed by the secretary and seconded by the treasurer.