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Synonyms

quick fire

1 American  

noun

  1. a single shot or several shots fired at a rapid rate from small arms at a target, especially one presented unexpectedly.

quick-fire 2 American  
[kwik-fahyuhr] / ˈkwɪkˈfaɪər /
Also quick-firing

adjective

  1. firing or equipped for firing rapidly, especially at moving targets.

quick fire British  

noun

  1. rapid continuous gunfire, esp at a moving target

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. Also: quick-firing.  capable of or designed for quick fire

  2. informal rapid or following one another in rapid succession

    quick-fire questions
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quick fire1

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of quick-fire2

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

Ian currently manages the U.K. companies desk, overseeing corporate news flashes and quick fire fills for both the Dow Jones Newswire and The Wall Street Journal's website.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

They're being judged in a quick fire and then the elimination, and then there's one day of rest, and then they're back in it again.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2023

A quick fire drill in the cold means we bond like a bunch of Emperor penguins, Gaia the warmest in the middle.

From Time • Oct. 6, 2016

They will also take an aggressive legal posture, the attorneys said, filing quick fire lawsuits to fight potentially shoddy jail conditions, onerous bail bonds and civil rights abuses.

From Chicago Tribune • Nov. 21, 2014

“You been mighty natural and considerate,” the mother said to the younger children later when she went to the woodpile and called them to pick dry kindling for a quick fire.

From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong

Definitions 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.