wall time
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wall time
Where it comes from
Ellipsis of wall-clock time.
noun
- The actual time of day, as would be seen on a wall clock; contrasted with the (possibly inaccurate) time according to a computer system.
-
The actual amount of time taken from the start to the end of an operation, as opposed to CPU time, which only includes the periods of time during which the CPU was processing instructions.
Additionally, determining the wall time for specific functions or control structures (e.g. for loops) can help identify the most computationally-intensive portion of your program, and indicate which sections should be optimised if possible.
Similar: clock time, elapsed real time, real-world time, wall-clock time
Talk about this word "wall time." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wall%20time. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wall time. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wall%20time "wall time." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wall%20time.Cite this
@misc{wall_time_2026,
title = {wall time},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wall%20time},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
