rapid
Americanadjective
-
occurring within a short time; happening speedily.
rapid growth.
-
moving or acting with great speed; swift.
a rapid worker.
-
characterized by speed.
rapid motion.
noun
adjective
-
(of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quick
a rapid transformation
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characterized by high speed
rapid movement
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acting or moving quickly; fast
a rapid worker
Synonym Usage
See quick.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapid
First recorded in 1625–35, rapid is from the Latin word rapidus “tearing away, seizing, swift”; see rape 1, -id 4
Explanation
Rapid means happening with great speed or in a brief period of time. Think of Rapid Eye Movement (REM sleep), when your eyes are darting back and forth quickly — trying to follow your fast-paced dreams. Rapid comes from the Latin word rapere, which means "to hurry away" or "to seize." If you are first to raise your hand in class with the correct answer, your teacher will be pleased with your rapid response. Your pulse may be rapid after you run a quick sprint, and after a rapid run-up in the stock market you may decide to sell some shares and lock in the profit.
Vocabulary lists containing rapid
Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 2
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A Need for Speed: Synonyms for "Fast"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
U.S. imports of Mexican cattle have been suspended since May 11, 2025 because of the rapid spread of screwworm in Mexico at the time.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The images show the rapid expansion of the burn scar as the wildfire spread.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
There was a rapid acceleration of legal knowledge among nonlawyers.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
It noted the device stemmed from the "rapid innovation" being developed between the two allies under a 100-year partnership pact signed in January last year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Betsie’s chest was still heaving oddly after the rapid march.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
To overwrought nerves as were hers, the announcement was rapider in its effect than a microbe.
From Eden An Episode by Saltus, Edgar
That sort of thing came to the Roman Empire slowly, in the course of lifetimes, but nowadays we lived in a rapider world—with flimsier institutions.
From Mr. Britling Sees It Through by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
In the shallow streamlet of her lowly life the waters might have glided on, slow but smoothly, had he not taught them to be ambitious of a rapider, grander course.
From The American Senator by Trollope, Anthony
“The ’80s in Korea was when we had the rapidest growth ever,” says Lee.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022
He had come to Sagan "by almost the rapidest marches ever heard of,"—or ever till some others of Henri's own, which he made in that neighborhood soon.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 19 by Carlyle, Thomas
Did you ever notice that when things are going at the very rapidest rate possible, they seem to be standing perfectly still?
From Dreamland by Lippmann, Julie Mathilde
He is at home equally in the slowest, most tranquil, and most meditative of rhythms, and in the rapidest and most impulsive.
From A Brief History of the English Language and Literature, Vol. 2 by Meiklejohn, John Miller Dow
It was the rapidest and most dastardly flight you could possibly conceive; but it was a great compliment to the argumentative powers of the Parson, and he felt it as such.
From The International Monthly, Volume 2, No. 4, March, 1851 by Various
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.
