noun The choice of when to do something, especially in relation to its effect.
- His timing was perfect — he arrived just as the show began.
- Good timing matters in comedy, because a joke told too early falls flat.
- The timing of the sale was unlucky, since prices rose the following week.
noun The regulation of pace or rhythm in an activity, such as an engine or a joke.
- The key to telling a good joke is timing.
- Smoking was difficult, I had to have perfect timing, sticking my head as far out the tiny porthole as I could, and timing my puffs to the inhalings and exhalings of the ship.
— Frederick Alan Casemore, Skylarks: For Myself (2001)
- The engine stalled because the timing of the spark was slightly off.
- The drummer's perfect timing kept the whole band together.
- Good comic timing is what made the routine funny.
- The officials used the latest technology to ensure timing down to the nearest millisecond.
