rapid
Americanadjective
-
occurring within a short time; happening speedily.
rapid growth.
-
moving or acting with great speed; swift.
a rapid worker.
-
characterized by speed.
rapid motion.
noun
adjective
-
(of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quick
a rapid transformation
-
characterized by high speed
rapid movement
-
acting or moving quickly; fast
a rapid worker
Related Words
See quick.
Other Word Forms
- rapidity noun
- rapidly adverb
- ultrarapid adjective
Etymology
Origin of rapid
First recorded in 1625–35, rapid is from the Latin word rapidus “tearing away, seizing, swift”; rape 1, -id 4
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.
Anthropic’s rapid ascent appears to be shaking up the artificial-intelligence leaderboard.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
On this night, the mercenaries prevailed, in a pummeling so relentless and a silencing so rapid that a three-peat appeared all but inevitable: Dodgers 14, Blue Jays 2.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
But it is the rapid rise of Perez-Oliva, 55, that has fueled speculation about a possible leadership shuffle.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
For years, scientists believed that the rapid rise of diverse and complex animals, known as the Cambrian explosion, began around 535 million years ago.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
Victims of the flu often developed a secondary pneumonia caused by pneumococcus—an illness so rapid and fatal that doctors had termed it the “captain of the men of death.”
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
