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
First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and adverb), Old English (adjective); akin to Old English swīfan “to revolve,” Old Norse svīfa “to rove”; see swivel
SYNONYMS FOR swift
1 speedy.
2 expeditious.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR swift ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for swift
1. See quick.
OTHER WORDS FROM swift
swiftly,adverbswiftness,noun
Words nearby swift
sweven, Sweyn, SWFF, S.W.G., swidden, swift, Swift Current, swifter, swift-footed, swift fox, swiftie
Definition for swift (2 of 3)
Swift
[ swift ]
/ swɪft /
noun
Gustavus Franklin, 1839–1903, U.S. meat packer.
Jonathan"Isaac 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.
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; instanta swift response
(postpositive foll by to) prompt to act or respondswift 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, adverbswiftness, 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)