rapid fire
noun
a rate of firing small arms that is intermediate between slow fire and quick fire.
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rapid fire
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rapid-fire
rapid-fireadjectivecharacterized by, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession.
rapid fire
1 Americannoun
Military.
rapid-fire
2
American
[rap-id-fahyuhr]
/ ˈræp ɪdˈfaɪər /
adjective
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characterized by, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession.
rapid-fire questions; rapid-fire events.
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Military. discharging in rapid fire.
rapid-fire rifles.
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discharging, operating, etc., at a rate more rapid than normal.
a rapid-fire staple gun.
rapid fire
British
noun
adjective
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firing shots rapidly
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denoting medium-calibre mounted guns designed for rapid fire
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done, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession
Etymology
Origin of rapid-fire
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
See Examples For:
The combination of extreme heat, gusty winds and low humidity brings a “significant risk” of “large plume dominated fires with rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior,” according to forecasters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Crews responded to the 1.2-million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark paper products facility early Tuesday morning and were quickly forced out due to “extremely rapid fire growth,” according to the Ontario Fire Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
The Internet Freedom Foundation said the compressed timeline would transform platforms into "rapid fire censors".
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
The format - as the name suggests - involved rapid fire sketches, some lasting just ten seconds and none lasting longer than three minutes.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
I stare at the ceiling, my neurons on rapid fire.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Moments after the final rapid-fire rhythm of Anthrax’s opening number “Caught in a Mosh” fades from the open air of the Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., shaggy-headed vocalist Joey Belladonna addresses the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Following the emergency meeting earlier this year, Cursor began pushing out rapid-fire upgrades to Composer.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
The “pattern day trader” rule, implemented in 2001, officially ends Thursday, making rapid-fire stock and options trades easier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
From rapid-fire reviews to emotional reactions, creators are shaping reading habits at scale and #BookTok has more than 77 million posts.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Mamou started talking to Sohrab in rapid-fire Farsi.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
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.
