Meaning & use
sec
Last updated
Meanings
abbreviationsingularinformal
A casual short form of second, used in speech to mean a very short time.
Grammar: Used like a noun in set phrases: wait a sec, just a sec.
Patterns
- wait a sec
- just a sec
- in a sec
Hold on a sec, I need to find my glasses.
I will be there in a sec.
Give me a sec and I will check the schedule.
adjectivenot comparablespecialist
Describing a wine, especially champagne, that is dry rather than sweet, or medium-dry in some labels.
Grammar: Comes after the noun in labels, from French: vin sec.
Patterns
- sec wine
The waiter recommended a sec white wine.
This champagne is sec, so it tastes slightly sweet.
She prefers a sec sparkling wine with dessert.
Word forms
| plural | secs |
|---|
Common combinations
- wait a sec
- Wait a sec, I forgot my phone.
- just a sec
- Just a sec, I am almost done.
- back in a sec
- I will be back in a sec.
- give me a sec
- Give me a sec to think about it.
- sec wine
- A sec wine is not very sweet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moment
- Moment is the standard word that fits all situations, whereas sec is more casual and spoken.
- second
- Second is the full form and is used in writing, but sec is clipped speech.
- minute
- Minute is also used loosely to mean a short time, though just a minute is a little longer than just a sec.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sec or SEC? sec or sec?
sec vs SEC
In capitals, SEC often means the US Securities and Exchange Commission or a college sports conference, which has nothing to do with time.
sec vs sec
In math, sec is also short for secant, a trigonometric function.
Practice
Your friend asks you to come now, but you need to grab your coat. What do you say?
Choose one answer.
Just a sec is the fixed informal phrase, with an and the singular. The other options break the form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sec”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.