rapid
Americanadjective
-
occurring within a short time; happening speedily.
rapid growth.
-
moving or acting with great speed; swift.
a rapid worker.
-
characterized by speed.
rapid motion.
noun
adjective
-
(of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quick
a rapid transformation
-
characterized by high speed
rapid movement
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acting or moving quickly; fast
a rapid worker
Synonym Usage
See quick.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapid
First recorded in 1625–35, rapid is from the Latin word rapidus “tearing away, seizing, swift”; see rape 1, -id 4
Explanation
Rapid means happening with great speed or in a brief period of time. Think of Rapid Eye Movement (REM sleep), when your eyes are darting back and forth quickly — trying to follow your fast-paced dreams. Rapid comes from the Latin word rapere, which means "to hurry away" or "to seize." If you are first to raise your hand in class with the correct answer, your teacher will be pleased with your rapid response. Your pulse may be rapid after you run a quick sprint, and after a rapid run-up in the stock market you may decide to sell some shares and lock in the profit.
Vocabulary lists containing rapid
Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 2
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A Need for Speed: Synonyms for "Fast"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
Strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to rapid and intense fire spread, leaving residents little time to react, she noted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"This rapid, mass mobilization in the streets has a multiplier effect and can undoubtedly bring out voters," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
But his rapid ascent means gilded surroundings might not be far away for Europe's hottest managerial property.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Ultimately, he sees Integro as a product that could support gradual market-share stabilization or gains for Sonova, rather than rapid losses for Cochlear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
A few minutes later, the three of them could hear her rapid chatter, and a familiarity washed over Moss.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
That sort of thing came to the Roman Empire slowly, in the course of lifetimes, but nowadays we lived in a rapider world—with flimsier institutions.
From Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
In the shallow streamlet of her lowly life the waters might have glided on, slow but smoothly, had he not taught them to be ambitious of a rapider, grander course.
From The American Senator by Anthony Trollope
To overwrought nerves as were hers, the announcement was rapider in its effect than a microbe.
From Eden An Episode by Edgar Saltus
“The ’80s in Korea was when we had the rapidest growth ever,” says Lee.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022
She would allow nothing but the simplest and rapidest methods; and Marie had been secretly alarmed lest her hand should lose her cunning.
From Eleanor by Mrs. Humphry Ward
He is at home equally in the slowest, most tranquil, and most meditative of rhythms, and in the rapidest and most impulsive.
From A Brief History of the English Language and Literature, Vol. 2 by John Miller Dow Meiklejohn
Falling from the summit of St. Peter's, it strikes the earth at the rate of 300 miles an hour, or five times quicker than the rapidest express train.
From All Around the Moon by Edward Roth
He had come to Sagan "by almost the rapidest marches ever heard of,"—or ever till some others of Henri's own, which he made in that neighborhood soon.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 19 by Thomas Carlyle
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
