swift
adjective
swift
1 American
[swift]
/ swɪft /
adjective
-
swifter,
comparative
-
swiftest
superlative
-
moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity; fleet; rapid.
a swift ship.
- Synonyms:
- speedy
-
coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay.
a swift decision.
- Synonyms:
- expeditious
-
quick or prompt to act or respond.
swift to jump to conclusions.
-
Slang. quick to perceive or understand; smart; clever.
You can't cheat him, he's too swift.
adverb
noun
-
swifts
plural
-
any of numerous long-winged, swallowlike birds of the family Apodidae, related to the hummingbirds and noted for their rapid flight.
-
Also called ghost moth, swift moth. any of several brown or gray moths, the males of which are usually white, of the family Hepialidae, noted for rapid flight.
-
an adjustable device upon which a hank of yarn is placed in order to wind off skeins or balls.
-
the main cylinder on a machine for carding flax.
Swift
2
American
[swift]
/ swɪft /
noun
-
Gustavus Franklin, 1839–1903, U.S. meat packer.
-
Jonathan Isaac Bickerstaff, 1667–1745, English satirist and clergyman, born in Ireland.
SWIFT
3
American
[swift]
/ swɪft /
noun
swift
1
British
/ swɪft /
adjective
-
moving or able to move quickly; fast
-
occurring or performed quickly or suddenly; instant
a swift response
-
prompt to act or respond
swift to take revenge
adverb
noun
-
any bird of the families Apodidae and Hemiprocnidae, such as Apus apus ( common swift ) of the Old World: order Apodiformes. They have long narrow wings and spend most of the time on the wing
-
(sometimes capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon originating in Egypt and Syria and having an appearance somewhat similar to a swift
-
short for swift moth
-
any of certain North American lizards of the genera Sceloporus and Uta that can run very rapidly: family Iguanidae (iguanas)
-
the main cylinder in a carding machine
-
an expanding circular frame used to hold skeins of silk, wool, etc
Swift
2
British
/ swɪft /
noun
-
Graham Colin. born 1949, English writer: his novels include Waterland (1983), Last Orders (1996), which won the Booker prize, and The Light of Day (2002)
-
Jonathan. 1667–1745, Anglo-Irish satirist and churchman, who became dean of St Patrick's, Dublin, in 1713. His works include A Tale of a Tub (1704) and Gulliver's Travels (1726)
Synonym Usage
See quick.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of swift1
First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and adverb), Old English (adjective); akin to Old English swīfan “to revolve,” Old Norse svīfa “to rove”; see swivel
Origin of SWIFT3
First recorded in 1970–75
Explanation
If you were the first one to reach the finish line in gym class, the coach might have called you swift. Swift means quick or fast-moving. A glance, a current, even a decision can be swift. You can use the adjective swift to describe things that move or happen rapidly and smoothly. Deciding to borrow a parent's car without permission could result in swift punishment. Foxes are so swift that if you leave the chicken coop open for a moment, one might slip in. Conversely, if innuendo sails over your head, your friends might say, “You’re not too swift on the uptake, are you?” A swift is also a small bird that looks a lot like a swallow.
Vocabulary lists containing swift
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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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:
She had anticipated swift legal challenges based the interpretation of maximum feasible standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
YMTC’s swift margin improvement showed that “its technology, price and cost likely was on par, if not better,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
In a statement, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed "his best wishes for the swift recovery of those injured in the explosion."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Most sellers can no longer count on a swift sale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
She turned abruptly and left, giving me a swift view of her face.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Brits who want to see the 11th-century relic say they’re being treated like Taylor Swift fans on Ticketmaster while American tech billionaires, luxury hotel guests and museum sponsors get to skip the line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Months after marrying Taylor Swift, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is playing better than he has in years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Swift, now with 32 Moon Person statues, showed her thanks during the ceremony by debuting the music video for her new single, “Patient Zero.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Taylor Swift took home the video of the year award as she became the most successful artist in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Swift and enduring were the steeds of Rohan, but there were many leagues to go.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
While volumes remain relatively small compared to oil or gas trade, the signal is unmistakable: Alternatives to SWIFT, the international payments messaging system, are on the table.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
More than 20 banks in Russia now use China’s version of SWIFT.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
As an alternative to SWIFT, the United Nations proposed that other banks could process payments.
From Reuters ● May 22, 2023
The allies have also frozen the assets of individuals and Russian banks, and severely limited Russia’s access to the international payment system, known as SWIFT.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
Kok, a Dutch businessman of extreme wealth, was president of a Belgium-based banking company, SWIFT, and was responsible for organizing several international tournaments.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Others have raised environmental concerns over colonies of common swifts nesting in the park.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Brewer, who has been documenting swifts, said she had previously seen birds entering gaps in the structure and believed several nests were present.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Photographer Amy Brewer said she saw birds attempting to return to nests which swifts use year after year, while Dorking Swift Conservation said an established colony could be lost.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Before the study, it was uncertain if swifts even had vocal folds.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
A few days later the swallows and swifts felt the change and left the Northeast.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
This will likely materialize through ramped-up bond issuance, swifter government fund deployment, and the rollout of an 800 billion yuan policy financing tool, equivalent to $117.75 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
As this technology developed, the photographs became more detailed and the animations swifter and smoother.
From Slate ● May 25, 2026
O’Brien’s rise to Olympian in the two-person bobsled, the second-fastest sliding sport of the Winter Games, has been even swifter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Unfortunately, the market in 2025 was much swifter and harsher toward companies that miss expectations than those that beat, meaning that any excessive optimism could lead to big selloffs.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
A hundred yards or so from the house I became aware of another set of footsteps behind me, even swifter than my brisk pace—some fellow player late for morning rehearsal, I guessed.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
They were 45 minutes from another early World Cup exit - their swiftest since 1966 - and national humiliation.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Miguel, posted the swiftest qualifying time, a wind-aided 10.27 — the fastest time in California this year — just minutes after Bakersfield sophomore Jalen Ford won his heat in a wind-aided 10.34.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2024
According to three of the commanders interviewed by The Times, the diplomatic route would be the swiftest way of returning the Israelis who remain in captivity.
From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2024
The figure, comprising four broad categories, indicates activity expanding at its swiftest since January.
From Reuters ● Aug. 24, 2023
For a start, he would have sent a few of his swiftest ships to probe upriver and see what awaited them, instead of smashing in headlong.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
