characterized by, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession.
rapid-fire questions; rapid-fire events.
Military. discharging in rapid fire.
rapid-fire rifles.
discharging, operating, etc., at a rate more rapid than normal.
a rapid-fire staple gun.
firing shots rapidly
denoting medium-calibre mounted guns designed for rapid fire
done, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession
First recorded in 1885–90
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
“Whether it was offers, calling kids, it was rapid fire all the time. Every day was life or death.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025
“When they get here I’ll sit down with them and kind of just rapid fire try to figure out a profile of them from a nutrition standpoint.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025
I stare at the ceiling, my neurons on rapid fire.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
