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

Example sentences from the Web for swifter

If you do that, the pace of the book will be swifter and the story as a whole will move quickly.

How I Write: Lisa Scottoline and Daughter Francesca Serritella |Noah Charney |November 14, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Truth is, they demand a narrative with greater cohesion and swifter pace than is delivered here.

Umberto Eco’s 'The Prague Cemetery' Brings to Life Ancient Hate |Daniel Levin |November 12, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
In addition to helping us power our cars, imitating sharks could lead to swifter ships and more advanced underwater sensors.

Sharks Are Scary But Not That Dangerous |Juliet Eilperin |June 16, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
My blood seemed to rush warmer and swifter through my veins, and I fancied that my eyes reached to a more distant vision.

The Scalp Hunters |Mayne Reid

The thief was for the moment the swifter, but he had not the wind nor the training of his opponent.

Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City |S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
Mere sensual love runs like this, from desire to hate and back again, to and fro, "swifter than a weaver's shuttle."

Shadows of Flames |Amelie Rives
Little these planes were, but shaped like darts, and swifter than any plane of Earth.

The Black Star Passes |John W Campbell
But it is more than a bird in the air, swifter, flying, entering into the very scent of the flowers.

A Country Gentleman and his Family |Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (1 of 3)

swifter

/ (ˈswɪftə) /

noun

nautical a line run around the ends of capstan bars to prevent their falling out of their sockets

Word Origin for swifter

C17: related to the nautical term swift to fasten with tight-drawn ropes; probably Scandinavian in origin: compare Old Norse svipta to reef

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (2 of 3)

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 swifter (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

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

Example sentences from the Web for swifter

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (1 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for swifter

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (2 of 3)

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of swift

Word Origin for swift

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (3 of 3)

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

Words related to swifter

Example sentences from the Web for swifter

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for swifter (1 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for swifter

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (2 of 3)

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of swift

Word Origin for swift

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (3 of 3)

noun

Derived forms of Swift

British Dictionary definitions for swifter (1 of 3)