noun
( -s )
Etymology: from gerund of time (II)
1. : selection for maximum effect of the precise moment for beginning or doing something
his bad luck or aim or timing or whatever it was that caused him inevitably to be low man — Hamilton Basso
the proper timing of the operation in reference to the course of the disease — Journal American Medical Association
as
a. : the art or practice of regulating tempo (as in musical performance, utterance, dramatic action) so as to heighten the effectiveness of various moments by emphasis and of the whole by appropriate variations ; also : the effect so produced
often have to experiment with a comic scene, cutting it, changing its timing , before they can see how it works — College English
b. : the regulating of the speed of a motion, stroke, or blow so as to cause it to reach its maximum at the correct moment ; also : the coordination of movements of body, arms, and hands to produce such effect
c. : coordination between a boxer's blows and the opportunities offered for attack
2. : observation and recording of the elapsed time of an act, action, or process often by means of a stopwatch