quick
Americanadjective
-
quicker,
comparative
-
quickest
superlative
-
done, proceeding, or occurring with promptness or rapidity, as an action, process, etc.; prompt; immediate.
a quick response.
- Synonyms:
- expeditious, fleet
- Antonyms:
- slow
-
that is over or completed within a short interval of time.
a quick shower.
-
moving, or able to move, with speed.
a quick fox; a quick train.
-
swift or rapid, as motion.
a quick flick of the wrist.
-
easily provoked or excited; hasty.
a quick temper.
- Synonyms:
- precipitate, short, curt, abrupt
-
keenly responsive; lively; acute.
a quick wit.
-
acting with swiftness or rapidity.
a quick worker.
-
prompt or swift to do something.
quick to respond.
-
prompt to perceive; sensitive.
a quick eye.
-
prompt to understand, learn, etc.; of ready intelligence.
a quick student.
- Antonyms:
- slow
-
(of a bend or curve) sharp.
a quick bend in the road.
-
consisting of living plants.
a quick pot of flowers.
-
brisk, as fire, flames, heat, etc.
-
Archaic.
-
endowed with life.
-
having a high degree of vigor, energy, or activity.
-
noun
-
living persons.
the quick and the dead.
-
the tender, sensitive flesh of the living body, especially that under the nails.
nails bitten down to the quick.
-
the vital or most important part.
-
Chiefly British.
-
a line of shrubs or plants, especially of hawthorn, forming a hedge.
-
a single shrub or plant in such a hedge.
-
adverb
idioms
adjective
-
(of an action, movement, etc) performed or occurring during a comparatively short time
a quick move
-
lasting a comparatively short time; brief
a quick flight
-
accomplishing something in a time that is shorter than normal
a quick worker
-
characterized by rapidity of movement; swift or fast
a quick walker
-
immediate or prompt
a quick reply
-
(postpositive) eager or ready to perform (an action)
quick to criticize
-
responsive to stimulation; perceptive or alert; lively
a quick eye
-
eager or enthusiastic for learning
a quick intelligence
-
easily excited or aroused
a quick temper
-
skilfully swift or nimble in one's movements or actions; deft
quick fingers
-
archaic
-
alive; living
-
(as noun) living people (esp in the phrase the quick and the dead )
-
-
archaic lively or eager
a quick dog
-
(of a fire) burning briskly
-
composed of living plants
a quick hedge
-
dialect (of sand) lacking firmness through being wet
-
archaic pregnant, esp being in an advanced state of pregnancy, when the movements of the fetus can be felt
noun
-
any area of living flesh that is highly sensitive to pain or touch, esp that under a toenail or fingernail or around a healing wound
-
the vital or most important part (of a thing)
-
short for quickset
-
to hurt someone's feelings deeply; offend gravely
adverb
-
in a rapid or speedy manner; swiftly
-
soon
I hope he comes quick
interjection
Commonly Confused
The difference between the adverbial forms quick and quickly is frequently stylistic. Quick is more often used in short spoken sentences, especially imperative ones: Come quick! The chimney is on fire. Quickly is the usual form in writing, both in the preverb position ( We quickly realized that attempts to negotiate would be futile ) and following verbs other than imperatives ( She turned quickly and left ). See also slow, sure.
Synonym Usage
Quick, fast, swift, rapid describe speedy tempo. Quick applies particularly to something practically instantaneous, an action or reaction, perhaps, of very brief duration: to give a quick look around; to take a quick walk. Fast and swift refer to actions, movements, etc., that continue for a time, and usually to those that are uninterrupted; when used of communication, transportation, and the like, they suggest a definite goal and a continuous trip. Swift, the more formal word, suggests the greater speed: a fast train; a swift message. Rapid, less speedy than the others, applies to a rate of movement or action, and usually to a series of actions or movements, related or unrelated: rapid calculation; a rapid walker. See sharp.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of quick
First recorded before 900; Middle English quik “lively, moving, swift”; Old English cwic, cwicu “living”; cognate with Old Saxon quik, German queck, keck, Old Norse kvikr; akin to Latin vīvus “living” ( see vital), Sanskrit jivas “living,” Greek bíos “life” ( see bio-), zoḗ “animal life” ( see zoo-)
Explanation
If you are quick, you move with speed. You may be a quick runner or "a quick study" — if you tend to learn things quickly. The adjective quick can also mean brief and fleeting — as in a quick visit or a quick trip to the store. Quick also means without delay: "You'll need to jot a quick reply to the party invitation." The noun quick is a whole other story; it's a highly sensitive bit of skin, especially the skin under the fingernails or toe nails. Be careful not to chew your nails down to the quick — especially your toe nails.
Vocabulary lists containing quick
Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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Fast
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Fast
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The natural chaparral’s ability to quickly regrow has enabled such a quick fire return interval in the Santa Monica Mountains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
But volatility often accompanies large and quick moves, and that’s particularly true when “turbulence hits major markets, causing liquidity-driven selloffs” like the one seen earlier this week, Samuelson said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Whilst there’s no quick bounce in sales in the near future, ARB is a highly backable company,” Jefferies says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Developer Curtis Hall said the plant, which could operate for up to five years, may be needed if the site cannot get on the national grid quick enough.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Aunt J rolls her eyes so quick, I may be the only one who catches it.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
They also want better social and educational programs, as well as a reduction in the inmate population from over 6,500 to 4,000 -- driven by quicker court proceedings and transferring people to other units.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Tariffs are lower than the levels we saw earlier this year and last, giving importers more certainty on cost and allowing them to replenish inventories at a quicker rate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The bipartisan Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act would move Medicare Advantage prior authorizations to an electronic system and require quicker response times and greater transparency from insurers.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We thought, ‘Wow, that’s a much quicker way of doing things,’” David said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
“You know how your son is,” Ma said, giving Grandma a quicker hug, then swinging around to make sure Genie and Ernie were right behind her.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Hamilton, second to Verstappen in the sprint, was quickest in the first and second parts of qualifying but could not repeat that pace when it mattered during what he described as "another difficult Q3".
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Upgrades at existing plants and restarts of a handful of recently closed reactors are considered the quickest, lowest-hanging fruit for adding more nuclear power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The report, based on a survey of services and manufacturing firms, showed businesses growing at the quickest pace in more than five years and the fastest job growth in more than four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
In Telegram groups sharing updates and advice about the tests, students were scrambling to find the cheapest and quickest alternatives to complete their applications.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Perhaps from her, I could learn the quickest, safest way North.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
