Synonyms

quick on the draw

Idioms

Also, quick on the trigger. Rapid in acting or reacting, as in You have to be quick on the draw if you want to find low-rent housing here, or Bruce was quick on the trigger when it came to answering questions. The first expression came from the American West's gunslingers and was broadened to mean “a quick reaction” in the first half of the 1900s. The variant originated about 1800.

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.

Some great deals where you don’t have to be quick on the draw:

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2022

Users will see a button to edit a tweet, but you’ve got to be quick on the draw: The function expires 30 minutes after the tweet is sent.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2022

Which is why his important thumbs shouldn’t always be so quick on the draw.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

Critics may be quick on the draw with cheap shots, but their aim is way off.

From Washington Times • Jun. 13, 2016

“A feller quick on the draw, like him, is alluz wantin’ to practice, to keep his hand in.

From Desert Dust by Shepherd, J. Clinton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

quick on the draw

Example Sentences

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