quickly
Americanadverb
Commonly Confused
See quick.
Etymology
Origin of quickly
Explanation
When you do something quickly, you do it really fast — like when you quickly eat breakfast so you won’t be late to school. The adverb quickly can describe any action that’s done at great speed. If you see a wolf running quickly, that means it’s moving rapidly and you’d better hide quickly. Quickly can also carry the sense of doing something without delay or hesitation. Sometimes quickly has a connotation of not putting much thought or effort into something, like when you quickly do your math homework.
Vocabulary lists containing quickly
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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.
Quickly you will encounter Buck’s Vintage and its mascot, Cowboy Bob, standing 21 feet tall with guitar in hand.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Quickly thereafter, two drugmakers filed an emergency motion asking the Supreme Court for a stay to allow time for an appeal, which was granted for one week.
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
Appeared in the March 12, 2026, print edition as 'Ending War Quickly Is Risky for U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Quickly, it became clear that the public post was an error—meant as a private message to Bondi.
From Slate • Oct. 14, 2025
Quickly, Opal picked up Archie and rocked and soothed him, which soothed the sleeping miller as well.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
