swift

[ swift ]
/ swɪft /

adjective, swift·er, swift·est.

adverb

swiftly.

noun

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of swift

before 900; Middle English (adj. and adv.), Old English (adj.); akin to Old English swīfan to revolve, Old Norse svīfa to rove; see swivel

SYNONYMS FOR swift

1 speedy. See quick.
2 expeditious.

OTHER WORDS FROM swift

swift·ly, adverbswift·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH swift

fast quick rapid swift (see synonym study at quick)

Words nearby swift

sweven, sweyn, swff, swg, swidden, swift, swift current, swift fox, swift moth, swift's disease, swift, jonathan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for swift moth (1 of 3)

swift moth

noun

any of five species of fast-flying moths of the family Hepialidae, regarded as primitive in development, having forewings and hind wings similar in size and shape: the best known is the ghost swift, Hepialus humiliOften shortened to: swift

British Dictionary definitions for swift moth (2 of 3)

swift
/ (swɪft) /

adjective

adverb

  1. swiftly or quickly
  2. (in combination)swift-moving

noun

Derived forms of swift

swiftly, adverbswiftness, noun

Word Origin for swift

Old English, from swīfan to turn; related to Old Norse svifa to rove, Old Frisian swīvia to waver, Old High German sweib a reversal; see swivel

British Dictionary definitions for swift moth (3 of 3)

Swift
/ (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)

Derived forms of Swift

Swiftian, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012