swift

¹

[ swift ]

adjective

, swift·er, swift·est.

1. moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity; fleet; rapid:

   a swift ship.

   Synonyms: speedy

2. coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay:

   a swift decision.

   Synonyms: expeditious

3. quick or prompt to act or respond:

   swift to jump to conclusions.

4. Slang. quick to perceive or understand; smart; clever:

   You can't cheat him, he's too swift.

adverb

1. swiftly.

noun

1. any of numerous long-winged, swallowlike birds of the family Apodidae, related to the hummingbirds and noted for their rapid flight.
2. tree swift.
3. spiny lizard.
4. Also called swift moth [swift, mawth, moth], any of several brown or gray moths, the males of which are usually white, of the family Hepialidae, noted for rapid flight.
5. an adjustable device upon which a hank of yarn is placed in order to wind off skeins or balls.
6. the main cylinder on a machine for carding flax.

Swift

²

[ swift ]

noun

1. Gustavus Franklin, 1839–1903, U.S. meat packer.
2. Jonathan Isaac Bickerstaff, 1667–1745, English satirist and clergyman, born in Ireland.

SWIFT

³

[ swift ]

noun

1. Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication: an international consortium that routes instructions concerning transfer of funds between financial institutions.

swift

¹

/ swɪft /

adjective

1. moving or able to move quickly; fast
2. occurring or performed quickly or suddenly; instant

   a swift response

3. postpositivefoll byto prompt to act or respond

   swift to take revenge

adverb

1. 1. swiftly or quickly
   2. ( in combination )

      swift-moving

noun

1. 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
2. sometimes capital a variety of domestic fancy pigeon originating in Egypt and Syria and having an appearance somewhat similar to a swift
3. short for swift moth
4. any of certain North American lizards of the genera Sceloporus and Uta that can run very rapidly: family Iguanidae (iguanas)
5. the main cylinder in a carding machine
6. an expanding circular frame used to hold skeins of silk, wool, etc

Swift

²

/ swɪft /

noun

1. SwiftGraham Colin1949MBritishWRITING: novelist 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)
2. SwiftJonathan16671745MAnglo-IrishWRITING: satiristRELIGION: clergyman 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

• ˈswiftly, adverb
• ˈswiftness, noun
• ˈSwiftian, adjective

Other Words From

• swift·ly adverb
• swift·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of swift¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and adverb), Old English (adjective); akin to Old English swīfan “to revolve,” Old Norse svīfa “to rove”; swivel

Origin of swift²

First recorded in 1970–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of swift¹

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

Synonym Study

See quick.

Example Sentences

He also praised the Metropolitan Police for their "swift response and support".

From BBC

Her swift rise through San Francisco’s rough-and-tumble politics were defined by days in courtrooms representing victims and nights at glitzy political galas.

From BBC

While he says it felt like he made a swift and full recovery, he was back in hospital in September and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer.

From BBC

The letter said some "isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct were identified" and that, once informed about them, the company had taken "swift and appropriate actions".

From BBC

His stumbling through his remarks about Trump’s supporters are just the latest example of words getting the better of him — despite his swift clarification.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abrupt
• expeditious
• hasty
• nimble
• quick
• rapid
• speedy
• sudden
• unexpected