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
-
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:
Combined with low humidity, the dry vegetation is catching fire more easily and supported the Norte fire’s rapid spread early on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
"This rapid, mass mobilization in the streets has a multiplier effect and can undoubtedly bring out voters," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Thus, rapid advances in frontier models are likely a crucial way to curb offensive cyberattacks and many other dangers from human misuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It’s best to only use them when rapid recovery is vital.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Headache, rapid heart beat, exhaustion, burning eyes, dizziness.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
To overwrought nerves as were hers, the announcement was rapider in its effect than a microbe.
From Eden An Episode by Edgar Saltus
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 Anthony Trollope
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 H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
“The ’80s in Korea was when we had the rapidest growth ever,” says Lee.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022
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 John Miller Dow Meiklejohn
She built in those piles of baggage with the rapidest symmetrical arrangement, to the admiration of Smith, who stood wondering by, and did what he could to help her, with troubled good-nature.
From The Doctor's Family by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant
One of the rapidest and most furious Sieges anywhere on record.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 20 by Thomas Carlyle
When she and Raoul had talked together in rapidest French, Ursule like an old queen waved them graciously within.
From Sinister Street, vol. 2 by Compton MacKenzie
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
