quick

[kwik]

adjective

quicker, quickest 

1. done, proceeding, or occurring with promptness or rapidity, as an action, process, etc.; prompt; immediate.

   a quick response.

   Synonyms: expeditious, fleet
   Antonyms: slow

2. that is over or completed within a short interval of time.

   a quick shower.

3. moving, or able to move, with speed.

   a quick fox; a quick train.

4. swift or rapid, as motion.

   a quick flick of the wrist.

5. easily provoked or excited; hasty.

   a quick temper.

   Synonyms: precipitate, short, curt, abrupt

6. keenly responsive; lively; acute.

   a quick wit.

7. acting with swiftness or rapidity.

   a quick worker.

   Synonyms: brisk, agile, nimble

8. prompt or swift to do something.

   quick to respond.

9. prompt to perceive; sensitive.

   a quick eye.

10. prompt to understand, learn, etc.; of ready intelligence.

    a quick student.

    Antonyms: slow

11. (of a bend or curve) sharp.

    a quick bend in the road.

12. consisting of living plants.

    a quick pot of flowers.

13. brisk, as fire, flames, heat, etc.

14. Archaic.

    1. endowed with life.

    2. having a high degree of vigor, energy, or activity.

noun

1. living persons.

   the quick and the dead.

2. the tender, sensitive flesh of the living body, especially that under the nails.

   nails bitten down to the quick.

3. the vital or most important part.

4. Chiefly British.

   1. a line of shrubs or plants, especially of hawthorn, forming a hedge.

   2. a single shrub or plant in such a hedge.

adverb

quicker, quickest 

1. quickly.

quick

/ kwɪk /

adjective

1. (of an action, movement, etc) performed or occurring during a comparatively short time

   a quick move

2. lasting a comparatively short time; brief

   a quick flight

3. accomplishing something in a time that is shorter than normal

   a quick worker

4. characterized by rapidity of movement; swift or fast

   a quick walker

5. immediate or prompt

   a quick reply

6. (postpositive) eager or ready to perform (an action)

   quick to criticize

7. responsive to stimulation; perceptive or alert; lively

   a quick eye

8. eager or enthusiastic for learning

   a quick intelligence

9. easily excited or aroused

   a quick temper

10. skilfully swift or nimble in one's movements or actions; deft

    quick fingers

11. archaic

    1. alive; living

    2. (as noun) living people (esp in the phrase the quick and the dead )

12. archaic,  lively or eager

    a quick dog

13. (of a fire) burning briskly

14. composed of living plants

    a quick hedge

15. dialect,  (of sand) lacking firmness through being wet

16. archaic,  pregnant, esp being in an advanced state of pregnancy, when the movements of the fetus can be felt

noun

1. 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

2. the vital or most important part (of a thing)

3. short for quickset

4. to hurt someone's feelings deeply; offend gravely

adverb

1. in a rapid or speedy manner; swiftly

2. soon

   I hope he comes quick

interjection

1. a command requiring the hearer to perform an action immediately or in as short a time as possible

Confusables Note

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.

Other Word Forms

• quickness noun
• unquick adjective
• unquickly adverb
• unquickness noun
• quickly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of quick¹

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” ( vital ), Sanskrit jivas “living,” Greek bíos “life” ( bio- ), zoḗ “animal life” ( zoo- )

Word History and Origins

Origin of quick¹

Old English cwicu living; related to Old Saxon quik, Old High German queck, Old Norse kvikr alive, Latin vīvus alive, Greek bios life

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cut to the quick, to injure deeply; hurt the feelings of.

   Their callous treatment cut her to the quick.

More idioms and phrases containing quick

• (quick) on the uptake
• cut to the quick

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

"He's an exciting player, quick, strong and works hard. Everything about him today was very impressive."

From BBC

They have to be alert at all times and make quick decisions to prevent accidents and ensure passenger safety.

From BBC

I press the key a few times in quick succession, and the responses suddenly stop.

From BBC

In a similar approach to Slot's Feyenoord team, Liverpool are looking to play with a greater number of rotations between players, progressing through the middle of the pitch with quick, small-space interplay.

From BBC

Foster’s quick flameout after a little more than one season has led to a new opening inside the athletic department while leading a growing contingent of donors and fans to demand one more.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abrupt 
• active 
• agile 
• brief 
• brisk 
• cursory 
• energetic 
• expeditious 
• hasty 
• hurried 
• immediate 
• instantaneous 
• keen 
• nimble 
• rapid 
• sudden 
• swift