swift

UK: /ˈswɪft/ US: /swɪft/ ,(swift)

Inflections of 'swift' (adj):

swifter

adj comparative

swiftest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

swift /swɪft/   adj., -er, -est, adv., n. 
adj. 

1. moving or able to move with great speed:
   a swift boat.
2. coming, happening, or performed quickly:
   a swift decision.
3. quick to act or respond:
   [often: be + ~ + to + verb] The president was swift to respond to the new crisis.
4. [Slang.] smart;
   clever.

adv. 

5. in a swift manner.

n. [countable]

6. Birds a long-winged, swallowlike bird.

swift•ly, adv.: 

She ran swiftly ahead of the others.

swift•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

swift  (swift), adj., -er, -est, adv., n. 
adj. 

1. moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity;
   fleet;
   rapid:
   a swift ship.
2. coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay:
   a swift decision.
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.

adv. 

5. swiftly.

n. 

6. Birds any of numerous long-winged, swallowlike birds of the family Apodidae, related to the hummingbirds and noted for their rapid flight.
7. Birds See tree swift. 
8. Reptiles See spiny lizard. 
9. Insects 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.
10. an adjustable device upon which a hank of yarn is placed in order to wind off skeins or balls.
11. the main cylinder on a machine for carding flax.

• bef. 900; Middle English (adjective, adjectival and adverb, adverbial), Old English (adjective, adjectival); akin to Old English swīfan to revolve, Old Norse svīfa to rove; see swivel

swift′ly, adv. 
swift′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. speedy. See quick. 
• 2. expeditious.

Swift  (swift), n. 

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

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

swift / swɪft/ adjective

1. moving or able to move quickly; fast
2. occurring or performed quickly or suddenly; instant
3. (postpositive) followed by to: prompt to act or respond: swift to take revenge

adverb

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. any of certain North American lizards of the genera Sceloporus and Uta that can run very rapidly: family Iguanidae (iguanas)
3. the main cylinder in a carding machine
4. an expanding circular frame used to hold skeins of silk, wool, etc

Etymology: 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

ˈswiftly adverb

ˈswiftness noun

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Swift / swɪft/ noun

1. 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. 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)

ˈSwiftian adjective