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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Need for Speed: Synonyms for "Fast"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The rapid growth achieved by Shein was driven in large part by success in marketing its products on social media -- particularly on short video app TikTok.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Blogs and entire media networks shuttered in rapid succession.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
A process known as the Hills mechanism may provide an explanation for both the rapid rotation and the star's unusually tight orbit.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Despite the rapid consumption by Ukraine and multiyear backlogs, interceptor manufacturers have only achieved a modest boost in production so far.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“I knew if he told anybody, he’d tell you first. And now that he has, I feel that we’re in for an extremely rapid progression of events.”
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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
In rapidest swing the original main motives now sing a joint verse in a kind of reprise, with the wild shriek at the end of the line, to a final crashing height.
From Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies by Philip H. Goepp
What an audience—the rapidest, subtlest, wittiest, down to the very cobblers and tinkers, the world has ever seen.
From Lectures Delivered in America in 1874 by Charles Kingsley
They had passed the Azores, that lovely May morning, and were headed for Cape St. Vincent,—the good old Lorelei lounging along at her easiest gait, the which is also her rapidest.
From A Bookful of Girls by Anna Fuller
One of the rapidest and most furious Sieges anywhere on record.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 20 by Thomas Carlyle
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.
