rapid fire
1 Americannoun
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.
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.
The format - as the name suggests - involved rapid fire sketches, some lasting just ten seconds and none lasting longer than three minutes.
From BBC
Case studies by America’s National Fire Protection Association of nightclub fires in Europe and the U.S. repeatedly show that when sprinklers are absent and interior finishes are too flammable, rapid fire growth overwhelms occupants before they can escape.
With a “profound lack of precipitation across all of Southern California,” Neil Lareau, associate professor of atmospheric science at the University of Nevada, Reno, said, “not only are the already dry fuels dry, but the live fuel moistures were very low, so it just supports that very rapid fire growth.”
From Los Angeles Times
“Whether it was offers, calling kids, it was rapid fire all the time. Every day was life or death.”
From Los Angeles Times
The excessive and prolonged heat will also create conditions that experts say can fuel extreme and rapid fire growth.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
