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Showing results for rapid fire. Search instead for rapid+fire.
Synonyms

rapid fire

1 American  

noun

Military.

  1. a rate of firing small arms that is intermediate between slow fire and quick fire.

rapid-fire 2 American  
[rap-id-fahyuhr] / ˈræp ɪdˈfaɪər /

adjective

  1. characterized by, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession.

    rapid-fire questions; rapid-fire events.

  2. Military. discharging in rapid fire.

    rapid-fire rifles.

  3. discharging, operating, etc., at a rate more rapid than normal.

    a rapid-fire staple gun.
rapid fire British  

noun

  1. a fast rate of gunfire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

    1. firing shots rapidly

    2. denoting medium-calibre mounted guns designed for rapid fire

  2. done, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

When firefighters first arrived, they were quickly forced out of the building due to “extremely rapid fire growth” and assumed a defensive position, battling the blaze with high-volume hoses, according to the Ontario Fire Department.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 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

“The PDS is highlighting an extremely dangerous environment that is very favorable to rapid fire growth if a fire were to start,” said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2025

“Were you reading the book or writing a book?” he grumbled, but before I could say something back, he pulled out a notebook and started asking questions rapid fire.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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.