American

[kwik] / kwɪk /

adjective

quicker,
comparative
quickest
superlative

done, proceeding, or occurring with promptness or rapidity, as an action, process, etc.; prompt; immediate.

a quick response.

Synonyms:

expeditious, fleet

Antonyms:

slow
that is over or completed within a short interval of time.

a quick shower.
moving, or able to move, with speed.

a quick fox; a quick train.
swift or rapid, as motion.

a quick flick of the wrist.
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.

Synonyms:

brisk, agile, nimble
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.
1. endowed with life.
2. 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.
the vital or most important part.
Chiefly British.
1. a line of shrubs or plants, especially of hawthorn, forming a hedge.
2. a single shrub or plant in such a hedge.

idioms

cut to the quick, to injure deeply; hurt the feelings of.

Their callous treatment cut her to the quick.

quick British

/ kwɪk /

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
1. alive; living
2. (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

"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

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

"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

adverb

in a rapid or speedy manner; swiftly
soon

I hope he comes quick

"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

interjection

a command requiring the hearer to perform an action immediately or in as short a time as possible

"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

quick More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing quick

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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing quick

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

quick quicker quickest

The survey found that 61% of crypto users view digital currencies primarily as a speculative tool or a way to make quick money, underscoring how risk-seeking investors are steadily migrating to prediction-markets platforms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

And right now owners buy teams to keep, not to unload and make a quick profit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Some voiced their dissatisfaction under a post from Selena’s husband, Chris Pérez, on Instagram — but he was quick to shut them down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

A flick from Putellas here and there, tenacity from Kennedy and quick feet from Grace Geyoro were all frequently on show.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

I gave a quick nod and started back to Grandma’s table.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

But what’s undeniable is that the White Sox have shocked baseball, vying for a spot in the playoffs quicker than even they realistically could have predicted—because they are swinging harder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The Timber fire grew in size at a quicker rate than crews could build new control lines, Silveira said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

A parade of ballgowns and swimsuits couldn’t compete with the decline of linear TV, the #MeToo movement and the rise of social media as a quicker pathway to fame.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Looking back on both goals, Gravenberch's decision-making should have been better and perhaps the centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet could have engaged quicker rather than holding off.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Green light pulsed quicker and quicker until it surged in a hot white flare that blinded everyone in the clearing.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka earned one of the quickest Grand Slam wins of her career with a 53-minute pummelling of US Open debutant Polina Iatcenko in the second round.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

"This makes it the quickest for DNB to deploy in a crisis situation," said the bank in a statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Time between plays for Alex Golesh-led South Florida last season, the quickest rate in Division I football.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

That last question is the easiest and quickest to answer: No. The why is less simple.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

‘Eldest first, or quickest first? You’ll be last either way, Master Peregrin.’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023