quick
Americanadjective
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done, proceeding, or occurring with promptness or rapidity, as an action, process, etc.; prompt; immediate.
a quick response.
- Synonyms:
- expeditious, fleet
- Antonyms:
- slow
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that is over or completed within a short interval of time.
a quick shower.
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moving, or able to move, with speed.
a quick fox; a quick train.
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swift or rapid, as motion.
a quick flick of the wrist.
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easily provoked or excited; hasty.
a quick temper.
- Synonyms:
- precipitate, short, curt, abrupt
-
keenly responsive; lively; acute.
a quick wit.
-
acting with swiftness or rapidity.
a quick worker.
-
prompt or swift to do something.
quick to respond.
-
prompt to perceive; sensitive.
a quick eye.
-
prompt to understand, learn, etc.; of ready intelligence.
a quick student.
- Antonyms:
- slow
-
(of a bend or curve) sharp.
a quick bend in the road.
-
consisting of living plants.
a quick pot of flowers.
-
brisk, as fire, flames, heat, etc.
-
Archaic.
-
endowed with life.
-
having a high degree of vigor, energy, or activity.
-
noun
-
living persons.
the quick and the dead.
-
the tender, sensitive flesh of the living body, especially that under the nails.
nails bitten down to the quick.
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the vital or most important part.
-
Chiefly British.
-
a line of shrubs or plants, especially of hawthorn, forming a hedge.
-
a single shrub or plant in such a hedge.
-
adverb
idioms
adjective
-
(of an action, movement, etc) performed or occurring during a comparatively short time
a quick move
-
lasting a comparatively short time; brief
a quick flight
-
accomplishing something in a time that is shorter than normal
a quick worker
-
characterized by rapidity of movement; swift or fast
a quick walker
-
immediate or prompt
a quick reply
-
(postpositive) eager or ready to perform (an action)
quick to criticize
-
responsive to stimulation; perceptive or alert; lively
a quick eye
-
eager or enthusiastic for learning
a quick intelligence
-
easily excited or aroused
a quick temper
-
skilfully swift or nimble in one's movements or actions; deft
quick fingers
-
archaic
-
alive; living
-
(as noun) living people (esp in the phrase the quick and the dead )
-
-
archaic lively or eager
a quick dog
-
(of a fire) burning briskly
-
composed of living plants
a quick hedge
-
dialect (of sand) lacking firmness through being wet
-
archaic pregnant, esp being in an advanced state of pregnancy, when the movements of the fetus can be felt
noun
-
any area of living flesh that is highly sensitive to pain or touch, esp that under a toenail or fingernail or around a healing wound
-
the vital or most important part (of a thing)
-
short for quickset
-
to hurt someone's feelings deeply; offend gravely
adverb
-
in a rapid or speedy manner; swiftly
-
soon
I hope he comes quick
interjection
Commonly Confused
The difference between the adverbial forms quick and quickly is frequently stylistic. Quick is more often used in short spoken sentences, especially imperative ones: Come quick! The chimney is on fire. Quickly is the usual form in writing, both in the preverb position ( We quickly realized that attempts to negotiate would be futile ) and following verbs other than imperatives ( She turned quickly and left ). See also slow, sure.
Related Words
Quick, fast, swift, rapid describe speedy tempo. Quick applies particularly to something practically instantaneous, an action or reaction, perhaps, of very brief duration: to give a quick look around; to take a quick walk. Fast and swift refer to actions, movements, etc., that continue for a time, and usually to those that are uninterrupted; when used of communication, transportation, and the like, they suggest a definite goal and a continuous trip. Swift, the more formal word, suggests the greater speed: a fast train; a swift message. Rapid, less speedy than the others, applies to a rate of movement or action, and usually to a series of actions or movements, related or unrelated: rapid calculation; a rapid walker. See sharp.
Other Word Forms
- quickly adverb
- quickness noun
- unquick adjective
- unquickly adverb
- unquickness noun
Etymology
Origin of quick
First recorded before 900; Middle English quik “lively, moving, swift”; Old English cwic, cwicu “living”; cognate with Old Saxon quik, German queck, keck, Old Norse kvikr; akin to Latin vīvus “living” ( see vital), Sanskrit jivas “living,” Greek bíos “life” ( see bio-), zoḗ “animal life” ( see zoo-)
Explanation
If you are quick, you move with speed. You may be a quick runner or "a quick study" — if you tend to learn things quickly. The adjective quick can also mean brief and fleeting — as in a quick visit or a quick trip to the store. Quick also means without delay: "You'll need to jot a quick reply to the party invitation." The noun quick is a whole other story; it's a highly sensitive bit of skin, especially the skin under the fingernails or toe nails. Be careful not to chew your nails down to the quick — especially your toe nails.
Vocabulary lists containing quick
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.
It was the quick and savvy choices he made that helped the company, and its stock, eventually soar.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
If he hadn’t been forced to rely on a system that prioritized quick fixes over long-term care, he might still be here.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
My mother, Beverly, a nurse, was there to provide extra care and a quick hand with the pink bucket for the constant nausea and vomiting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
Right after being showered with applause and confetti at victory lane, the 29-year-old Spaniard thanked his crew, whose quick work on the last pit stop proved to be the difference.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
“Be quick in the kitchen; I don’t want you falling asleep during training tomorrow.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
