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:
“If a fire starts, there is a high risk of rapid fire growth with increased potential of plume-dominated behavior across the interior valleys, mountains and deserts,” said the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Beni Baningime was invalided out of the action, and in rapid fire Michael Steinwender, Stephen Kingsley and Alexandros Kyziridis went down.
From BBC ● May 16, 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
She typed away on a keyboard, red nails tap-tapping in rapid fire.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
The software, called VIVA, generates customized questions, and candidates record rapid-fire, 60-second responses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Following the emergency meeting earlier this year, Cursor began pushing out rapid-fire upgrades to Composer.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
Schwarzenegger in an unprecedented, rapid-fire recall of an enormously unpopular governor.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
OpenAI released a new model it touts as its best yet for handling research work like making improved versions of itself, as rapid-fire releases by AI rivals pick up pace.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
He lifted an eyebrow at her odd phrasing and answered in rapid-fire French that she could barely follow.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
