swift
adjective/swɪft/
/swɪft/
(comparative swifter, superlative swiftest)
- happening or done quickly and immediately; doing something quickly
- swift action
- a swift decision
- He rose to his feet in one swift movement.
- swift to do something The White House was swift to deny the rumours.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
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- moving very quickly; able to move very quickly
- a swift current
- a swift runner
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
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word OriginOld English (as an adjective), from the Germanic base of Old English swīfan ‘move in a course, sweep’. The bird name dates from the mid 17th cent.
Check pronunciation:
swift