swift
[ swift ]
/ swɪft /
Save This Word!
adjective, swift·er, swift·est.
adverb
swiftly.
noun
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of swift
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
synonym study for swift
1. See quick.
OTHER WORDS FROM swift
swift·ly, adverbswift·ness, nounOther definitions for swift (2 of 3)
Swift
[ swift ]
/ swɪft /
noun
Gustavus Franklin, 1839–1903, U.S. meat packer.
Jonathan "Isaac Bickerstaff", 1667–1745, English satirist and clergyman, born in Ireland.
Other definitions for swift (3 of 3)
SWIFT
[ swift ]
/ swɪft /
noun
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication: an international consortium that routes instructions concerning transfer of funds between financial institutions.
Origin of SWIFT
First recorded in 1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use swift in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for swift (1 of 2)
swift
/ (swɪft) /
adjective
adverb
- swiftly or quickly
- (in combination)swift-moving
noun
Derived forms of swift
swiftly, adverbswiftness, nounWord 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 (2 of 2)
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, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012