What does "swift" mean?
A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
Swift
/swɪft/ adj, adv, name, noun
adj, adv, name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
- Grammar: swift is listed as adj, adv, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abrupt, abrupt turn, accelerated pace, agile.
- Useful contrasts: glacial, long halt, poky.
- Usage evidence: Shareholders were concerned about the company's swift expansion overseas.
How to use "swift"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swift" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swift" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "swift" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swift" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "swift" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abrupt" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "swift", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
- 2 Acronym of Structured What If Technique. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 common western lizard; seen on logs or rocks wordnet
- 4 Any of certain lizards of the genus Sceloporus.
"As a guide to start your collection we'd suggest either iguanas, tejus, swifts, basilisks, horned toads or alligator lizards."
- 5 Acronym of Stored Waveform Inverse Fourier Transform. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a small bird that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight wordnet
- 7 A moth of the family Hepialidae, swift moth, ghost moth.
"Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them."
- 8 Acronym of Stratospheric Wind Interferometer For Transport Studies. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 9 Any of various fast-flying hesperiid butterflies.
- 10 A light, collapsible reel used to hold a hank of yarn in order to wind off skeins or balls.
- 11 The main cylinder of a carding-machine.
- 12 The current of a stream. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Fast; quick; rapid.
"swift action"
- 2 Capable of moving at high speeds.
Adjective
- 1 moving very fast wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Swiftly. obsolete, poetic
"Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for a swift or quick person.
- 2 Acronym of Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 A general-purpose multi-paradigm compiled programming language introduced by Apple Inc. in 2014.
"If anyone outside Apple saw Swift coming, they certainly weren't making any public predictions."
- 4 Acronym of South Wales Integrated Fast transit. UK, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 5 Alternative letter-case form of SWIFT (“Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication”). alt-of
"That year [2012], Iran was cut off from the Swift global payment system."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 Acronym of Southwest Airlines Integrated Flights Tracking. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 7 A place name:; An unincorporated community in DuPage County, Illinois, United States.
- 8 Acronym of Statewide Interlibrary loan Fast Track. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 9 A place name:; An unincorporated community in Roseau County, Minnesota, United States.
- 10 Acronym of State Wildland Inmate Fire Team. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 11 A place name:; An extinct town in Pemiscot County, Missouri, United States.
- 12 Acronym of Simple Web Interface Toolset. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 13 A place name:; A minor river in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England, which joins the (Warwickshire) Avon north of Rugby.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Shareholders were concerned about the company's swift expansion overseas."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swift"?
Common synonyms include: abrupt, abrupt turn, accelerated pace, agile, alacritous, alert.
How do you use "swift" in a sentence?
Shareholders were concerned about the company's swift expansion overseas.
How do you pronounce "swift"?
Pronounced /swɪft/.
Etymology
From Middle English swift, from Old English swift (“swift; quick”), from Proto-Germanic *swiftaz (“swift; quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weyp- (“to twist; wind around”). Cognate with Icelandic svipta (“to pull quickly”), Old English swīfan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene”). More at swivel.