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.
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
“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
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.
