swift

[ swift ]

/ swɪft /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR swift ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, swift·er, swift·est.

moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity; fleet; rapid: a swift ship.

coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay: a swift decision.

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

swiftly.

noun

any of numerous long-winged, swallowlike birds of the family Apodidae, related to the hummingbirds and noted for their rapid flight.

tree swift.

spiny lizard.

Also called swift moth, ghost 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.

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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR swift ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM swift

swift·ly, adverb swift·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

Definition for swift (2 of 3)

Swift

[ swift ]

/ swɪft /

noun

Gustavus Franklin,1839–1903, U.S. meat packer.

JonathanIsaac Bickerstaff,1667–1745, English satirist and clergyman, born in Ireland.

Definition 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.

Example sentences from the Web for swift

They know they will face either a swift backlash or deafening silence.

Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers |Stereo Williams |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The Internet cool kids are, of course, rallying against Swift en masse.

Death of the Author by Viral Infection: In Defense of Taylor Swift, Digital Doomsayer |Arthur Chu |December 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So the family threw her a 100th birthday party, then she entered her swift decline.

The Nurse Coaching People Through Death by Starvation |Nick Tabor |November 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This would seem reasonable, since in that direction lay the only territory open enough for swift attack by armor.

Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day |James Jones |November 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But to Swift, well-versed in Hollywood dating, this is inconsequential.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’: Hell Hath No Fury Like A Tay-Tay Scorned |Sujay Kumar |November 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She ran with a swift sureness down the stairs and through the hall.

Yonder |Emily Hilda Young
Thus he said: but Iris, swift as the storm, hastened to bear the message.

The Iliad of Homer (1873) |Homer
A star shot down the sky, and I wished that a wind as swift and strong would rise and sweep the land out to sea.

Audrey |Mary Johnston
Evidence would be cooked up of course, and the retribution would be so swift that his friends would not be able to save him.

Mavericks |William MacLeod Raine
He heard the flutter of skirts—just caught the grey stockings, swift and light, as they flew behind the rhododendron masses.

Day and Night Stories |Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for swift (1 of 2)

swift

/ (swɪft) /

adjective

moving or able to move quickly; fast

occurring or performed quickly or suddenly; instant a swift response

(postpositive foll by to) prompt to act or respond swift to take revenge

adverb

swiftly or quickly
(in combination)swift-moving

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

Derived forms of swift

swiftly, adverb swiftness, 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 (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, adjective

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

swift

adjective, swift·er, swift·est.

adverb

noun

Origin of swift

SYNONYMS FOR swift

OTHER WORDS FROM swift

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH swift

Words nearby swift

Definition for swift (2 of 3)

noun

Definition for swift (3 of 3)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for swift

British Dictionary definitions for swift (1 of 2)

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of swift

Word Origin for swift

British Dictionary definitions for swift (2 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of Swift

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

swift

adjective, swift·er, swift·est.

adverb

noun

Origin of swift

SYNONYMS FOR swift

OTHER WORDS FROM swift

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH swift

Words nearby swift

Definition for swift (2 of 3)

noun

Definition for swift (3 of 3)

noun

Words related to swift

Example sentences from the Web for swift

British Dictionary definitions for swift (1 of 2)

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of swift

Word Origin for swift

British Dictionary definitions for swift (2 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of Swift