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Synonyms

rapid fire

1 American  

noun

Military.

  1. a rate of firing small arms that is intermediate between slow fire and quick fire.

rapid-fire 2 American  
[rap-id-fahyuhr] / ˈræp ɪdˈfaɪər /

adjective

  1. characterized by, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession.

    rapid-fire questions; rapid-fire events.

  2. Military. discharging in rapid fire.

    rapid-fire rifles.

  3. discharging, operating, etc., at a rate more rapid than normal.

    a rapid-fire staple gun.
rapid fire British  

noun

  1. a fast rate of gunfire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

    1. firing shots rapidly

    2. denoting medium-calibre mounted guns designed for rapid fire

  2. done, delivered, or occurring in rapid succession

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rapid-fire

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

The Internet Freedom Foundation said the compressed timeline would transform platforms into "rapid fire censors".

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

The format - as the name suggests - involved rapid fire sketches, some lasting just ten seconds and none lasting longer than three minutes.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

The excessive and prolonged heat will also create conditions that experts say can fuel extreme and rapid fire growth.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

“When they get here I’ll sit down with them and kind of just rapid fire try to figure out a profile of them from a nutrition standpoint.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025

“There was a time when it wasn’t uncommon to hear rapid fire, like you would hear somewhere in the jungle in Vietnam,” says Inspector Edward Messadri, who commands the police precinct in Brownsville.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

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.