- happening quickly or in a short period of time
- rapid change/expansion/growth/development
- a rapid rise/increase/decline in sales
- The patient made a rapid recovery.
- a rapid pulse/heartbeat
- The guard fired four shots in rapid succession.
- Work proceeded at a rapid pace.
- The disease is spreading at a rapid rate.
- We try hard to provide a rapid response to requests.
- Rapid economic growth pushed unemployment to relatively low levels.
Which Word? fast / quick / rapidfast / quick / rapidThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:fast ~ quick ~ rapid ~ car glance change train look growth bowler reply increase pace decision decline lane way progress - Fast is used especially to describe a person or thing that moves or is able to move at great speed.
- Quick is more often used to describe something that is done in a short time or without delay.
- Rapid, swift and speedy are more formal words.
- Rapid is most commonly used to describe the speed at which something changes. It is not used to describe the speed at which something moves or is done:
- a rapid train
- We had a rapid coffee.
- Swift usually describes something that happens or is done quickly and immediately:
- a swift decision
- The government took swift action.
- Speedy has a similar meaning:
- a speedy recovery.
- a speedy car.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- become
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Latin rapidus, from rapere ‘take by force’.
Check pronunciation:
rapid