swift

adjective

/swɪft/

(comparative swifter, superlative swiftest)

happening or done quickly and immediately; doing something quickly迅即发生的；马上做出的；迅速的
- swift action迅速的行动
- a swift decision迅即作出的决定
- He rose to his feet in one swift movement.他迅速站了起来。
- swift to do something The White House was swift to deny the rumours.白宫立刻对这些传言予以否认。
Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
moving very quickly; able to move very quickly速度快的；敏捷的；矫健的
- a swift current湍急的水流
- a swift runner跑得飞快的人
Which Word? fast / quick / rapid
fast / quick / rapidThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:
fast ~ quick ~ rapid ~
car glance change
train look growth
bowler reply increase
pace decision decline
lane way progress
- Fast is used especially to describe a person or thing that moves or is able to move at great speed.fast 尤用以描述高速运动的人或事物。
- Quick is more often used to describe something that is done in a short time or without delay.quick 较常用以描述迅速或立即完成的事。
- Rapid, swift and speedy are more formal words.rapid、swift 和 speedy 较正式。
- Rapid is most commonly used to describe the speed at which something changes. It is not used to describe the speed at which something moves or is done:
  a rapid train
  We had a rapid coffee.
- Swift usually describes something that happens or is done quickly and immediately:
  a swift decision迅即作出的决定
  The government took swift action.政府立即采取了行动。
- Speedy has a similar meaning:speedy 与 swift 意思相近：
  a speedy recovery.迅速恢复。
  It is used less often to talk about the speed at which something moves:
  a speedy car.
- For the use of fast and quick as adverbs, note at quick.关于 fast 和 quick 作副词的用法，见词条 quick 的用法说明。
Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …

词源Old English (as an adjective), from the Germanic base of Old English swīfan ‘move in a course, sweep’. The bird name dates from the mid 17th cent.