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.
After studying law, Rubio quickly climbed the political ladder, winning his first election in 1998.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Kate and the couple’s two children, Olive and Wesley, quickly settle into their classrooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
She accepted some people who would prefer to see their regular family doctor, but for others the convenience of accessing a GP quickly was a better fit for their lifestyle.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Of those companies, only six are projected to see sales grow more quickly from 2026 through 2028 than they did from 2022 through 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Never mind that,” Clare replied quickly, more to himself than anything.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
