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
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
ADJ
- close, good
- bad, distant, poor
- equal, joint
- creditable, worthy
- The young German runner finished a creditable second
PREP
- ~ to
- Sunny Boy came a close second to the winner
VERB + SECOND
- be awarded, gain, get, obtain
PREP
- ~ in
- He got a good second in history