swift

¹

[swift]

adjective

swifter, swiftest 

1. moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity; fleet; rapid.

   a swift ship.

   Synonyms: speedy

2. coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay.

   a swift decision.

   Synonyms: expeditious

3. quick or prompt to act or respond.

   swift to jump to conclusions.

4. Slang.,  quick to perceive or understand; smart; clever.

   You can't cheat him, he's too swift.

adverb

1. swiftly.

noun

1. any of numerous long-winged, swallowlike birds of the family Apodidae, related to the hummingbirds and noted for their rapid flight.

2. tree swift.

3. spiny lizard.

4. Also called ghost moth. Also called swift moth. any of several brown or gray moths, the males of which are usually white, of the family Hepialidae, noted for rapid flight.

5. an adjustable device upon which a hank of yarn is placed in order to wind off skeins or balls.

6. the main cylinder on a machine for carding flax.

Swift

²

[swift]

noun

1. Gustavus Franklin, 1839–1903, U.S. meat packer.

2. Jonathan Isaac Bickerstaff, 1667–1745, English satirist and clergyman, born in Ireland.

SWIFT

³

[swift]

noun

1. Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication: an international consortium that routes instructions concerning transfer of funds between financial institutions.

swift

¹

/ swɪft /

adjective

1. moving or able to move quickly; fast

2. occurring or performed quickly or suddenly; instant

   a swift response

3. prompt to act or respond

   swift to take revenge

adverb

1. 1. swiftly or quickly

   2. ( in combination )

      swift-moving

noun

1. any bird of the families Apodidae and Hemiprocnidae, such as Apus apus ( common swift ) of the Old World: order Apodiformes. They have long narrow wings and spend most of the time on the wing

2. (sometimes capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon originating in Egypt and Syria and having an appearance somewhat similar to a swift

3. short for swift moth

4. any of certain North American lizards of the genera Sceloporus and Uta that can run very rapidly: family Iguanidae (iguanas)

5. the main cylinder in a carding machine

6. an expanding circular frame used to hold skeins of silk, wool, etc

Swift

²

/ swɪft /

noun

1. Graham Colin. born 1949, English writer: his novels include Waterland (1983), Last Orders (1996), which won the Booker prize, and The Light of Day (2002)

2. Jonathan. 1667–1745, Anglo-Irish satirist and churchman, who became dean of St Patrick's, Dublin, in 1713. His works include A Tale of a Tub (1704) and Gulliver's Travels (1726)

Other Word Forms

• swiftly adverb
• swiftness noun
• Swiftian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of swift¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and adverb), Old English (adjective); akin to Old English swīfan “to revolve,” Old Norse svīfa “to rove”; swivel

Origin of swift²

First recorded in 1970–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of swift¹

Old English, from swīfan to turn; related to Old Norse svifa to rove, Old Frisian swīvia to waver, Old High German sweib a reversal; see _swivel

Synonym Study

See quick.

Example Sentences

Then came the U.S. withdrawal that August, and the swift collapse of the Afghan government that the U.S. had supported for decades.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But he warned rolling out the changes must be "swift and sustained," adding "trust will only be rebuilt through action, and I will continue to press for progress on all my outstanding recommendations".

Read more on BBC

Douglass noted the paradox: For abolitionists Lincoln seemed “tardy, cold, dull, and indifferent,” yet by the measure of public sentiment he was obliged to weigh, Lincoln proved “swift, zealous, radical, and determined.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Afaghani voiced hope that swift reconstruction could usher in "a stable Syria", which in turn would draw more returns from Europe.

Read more on Barron's

And Beijing’s retaliation was swift: It cut off rare-earth magnets to American companies, temporarily forcing some U.S. automobile factories to shut down.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abrupt 
• expeditious 
• hasty 
• nimble 
• quick 
• rapid 
• speedy 
• sudden 
• unexpected