Meaning of quick in English

quick

adjective

/kwɪk/ us

/kwɪk/

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happening or done with great speed, or lasting only a short time:

It's a quick journey.

I had a quick coffee and left the house.

I only had time for a quick glance at the paper this morning.

He scored three goals in quick succession (= one after the other in a short time).

Could I have a quick word (= speak to you for a short time)?

Quick as lightning (= very quickly), he snatched the book and ran out of the room.

Synonyms

expeditious formal
fast  (QUICK)
rapid
speedy
swift 

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

continuing for less time than usual

shortHe received a short jail sentence.
quickI need to make a quick phone call - I'll be right back.
briefWe had a brief chat this morning.
short and sweetThe business meeting was short and sweet.
momentaryIt was just a momentary lapse in judgment - I won't do it again.

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doing something fast:

I tried to catch him but he was too quick for me.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

fast

fastI tried to catch him, but he was too fast for me.
quickI tried to catch him, but he was too quick for me.
promptA prompt reply would be very much appreciated.
speedyEveryone is hoping for a speedy resolution to the conflict.
swiftThe teacher's swift action saved his life.

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be quick to do something

to do something fast, sometimes too fast:

She was quick to point out that it wasn't her fault.

used to describe someone who is clever and understands or notices things quickly:

She was quick at understanding what we wanted her to do.

He has a quick mind.

Donna's quick thinking (= ability to solve problems with speed) averted what could have been a disaster.

See also

quick-witted

a quick study US informal

someone who is able to learn things quickly:

He's a quick study and easily grasps all the details of a discussion.

quick and dirty

produced or done quickly and therefore not perfect:

The original solution was admittedly quick and dirty.

More examplesFewer examples

The journey was quite quick because the road was clear .
I'll give the walls a quick coat of paint.
They had a quick confab to decide on a possible design.
After stopping for a quick drink, they continued on their way.
Her movements were deft and quick.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Short in time

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Fast and rapid

Intelligence

Related word

quickness

Grammar

Fast, quick or quickly?

Fast and quick mean moving with great speed. Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly. …

quick

exclamation

/kwɪk/ us

/kwɪk/

used for telling someone to do something quickly:

Quick! Close the door before the cat comes in!

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Expressions telling people to hurry up

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quick

adverb

NOT STANDARD

/kwɪk/ us

/kwɪk/

quickly:

We bought it quick, before someone else could.

Synonym

promptly

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Fast and rapid

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quick

noun [ U ]

/kwɪk/ us

/kwɪk/

the area of flesh under your nails:

He's bitten his nails to the quick.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

The hand

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

The foot

Grammar

Fast, quick or quickly?

Fast and quick mean moving with great speed. Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly. …

(Definition of quick from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

quick | American Dictionary

quick

adjective [ -er/-est only ]

/kwɪk/

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done, happening, or moving fast; lasting only a short time:

She cast a quick glance in the mirror.

You’re back already – that was quick!

He made a quick profit.

[ + to infinitive ] John was quick to point out the error.

quick

adverb us

/kwɪk/

not standard

We bought it quick, before someone else could.

quick

exclamation us

/kwɪk/

Quick! Close the door before the dog gets out!

quickly

adverb us

/ˈkwɪk·li/

Emergency workers were on the scene quickly.

quickness

noun [ U ] us

/ˈkwɪk·nəs/

She moves with quickness, balance, and grace.

(Definition of quick from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of quick

quick

Robotic surgery also has benefits of minimal pain, little blood loss, better cosmetics, and quicker recovery compared with open surgery.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, sometimes children dabbed at the xylophone with smaller, quicker, more jerky and less regular movements.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

No one was quicker to recognize this than colonial nationalists themselves.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Indeed, the evidence here tends to suggest that pragmatic military minds were quicker to see the inevitability of independence than the civil powers.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They were the quickest to take advantage of the political opening of the early 1990s and establish themselves as more overtly political organisations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Another important question is whether and how such learning agents converge to better and quicker deals in multiple negotiation encounters.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Driving a car was much more convenient, cleaner, and quicker than saddled horses or buggies, which led people eventually to embrace it.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Both authors and referees are encouraged to note these codes and presentational styles, as adherence to them will achieve quicker acceptance of submitted typescripts.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The newly defined process results in quicker deployment of new bootstrap applications by data reuse.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Now consider varying this parameter over time so that the path to an equilibrium is the quickest possible.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, it is quicker to assume cooperation if an agent moves towards an object to be transported than it is to explicitly negotiate.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Subtotal hysterectomy is usually quicker and safer to perform.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

What is quicker than zero-time synthesis, negative-time synthesis or perhaps simply avant-garde?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The quickest way to get refreshment takes me on a different route.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The settling time for the pendulum and cart could be quicker.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of quick?