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:
India has vowed "swift action" after a cheetah was shot dead, the first such killing since the country began reintroducing the animals in 2022, the government said Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Before the game, first responders were honored and both coaches made sure to express their gratitude for the swift and effective work of those who protected the communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
When asked who they blame for spiking costs, the answer was swift.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Some of those events were followed by swift recoveries.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
For his part, Euwe didn’t evince much pride in his swift victory, since he felt that Bobby “was only a boy.”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The Emmy-nominated actor and the Grammy-winning musician, also known for collaborations with pop stars Taylor Swift and Lorde, separated in the summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
News of the Qualley-Antonoff split arose days after the latter was spotted attending Swift and Travis Kelce’s lavish wedding bash at New York City’s Madison Square Garden without his wife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Charles Swift was referred to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, for tests on his heart in August - he lives in Borth, Ceredigion - which is 70 miles away.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
His third-most-popular TikTok video is from July Fourth, when he danced around in his trademark black V-neck and American-flag cowboy hat, lipsyncing to Taylor Swift.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
The tweediness of our faculty, and the curriculum itself, which began, Hellenically, Byronically, with Homer, and then skipped straight to Chaucer, moving on to Shakespeare, Donne, Swift, Wordsworth, Dickens, Tennyson, and E. M. Forster.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
Its share of world trade financing, according to SWIFT, has increased to 4.5% in February from 1.3% two years ago.
From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 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
Crockford watched swifts return to London after their annual migration from Africa, filling the air with their high-pitched calls.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Others have raised environmental concerns over colonies of common swifts nesting in the park.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 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
Out past the kitchen window, swifts swoop for insects, and the filaments of a spiderweb catch the light and shine for an instant and are gone.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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
Justice Minister Baroness Levitt KC said the new approach could "help spare more children the pain of drawn-out proceedings, deliver swifter justice for families while making sure support comes earlier when it is needed most".
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 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
The would-be fourth step, which was started in swifter water, never formed, because the current carried away the largest rocks Abel could handle.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
"The freedom of the hostages unlocks new pathways, and it's the swiftest way to break the crisis in the Middle East," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2025
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 swiftest tightening of U.S. monetary policy in 40 years aimed at reining in sticky inflation has buoyed banks' interest income.
From Reuters ● Oct. 13, 2023
It dwindled at last to a country cart-road little used; but it did not wind: it held on its own sure course and guided them by the swiftest way.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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