Swift Definition
swĭft
swiftest, swifts, swifter
adjective
swiftest, swifter
Moving or capable of moving with great speed; rapid; fast.
Webster's New World
Coming, happening, or done quickly or suddenly.
Webster's New World
Acting or responding quickly; prompt; ready.
Webster's New World
Quick to act or react.
Swift to take revenge.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
adverb
In a swift manner.
Webster's New World
Swiftly. Often used in combination.
Swift-running.
American Heritage
noun
swifts
A cylinder in a carding machine.
Webster's New World
An expanding reel used to hold skeins of silk, etc. that are being wound off.
Webster's New World
Any of a large family (Apodidae, order Apodiformes) of aerial-feeding, insectivorous, swift-flying, swallowlike birds with long, stiff wings and a small, weak bill, as the chimney swift.
Webster's New World
Any of several swift-moving North American iguanas (genera Sceloporus and Uta) living esp. in arid or desert regions.
Webster's New World
A small fox (Vulpes velox) of the plains of W U.S. and S Canada.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- gustavus franklin swift
- Dean Swift
- jonathan swift
- blue-belly
- Sceloporus occidentalis
- western fence lizard
- swiftness
- expedition
- celerity
- alacrity
- acceleration
Other Word Forms of Swift
Noun
Singular:
swift
Plural:
swiftsAdjective
Origin of Swift
-
From Middle English, from Old English swift (“swift, quick"), from Proto-Germanic *swiftaz (“swift, quick"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weip-, *(s)weib- (“to twist, wind around"). Cognate with Icelandic svipta (“to pull quickly"), Old English swÄ«fan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene"). More at swivel.
From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to swift using the buttons below.