rapid-fire

adjective

rap·​id-fire ˌra-pəd-ˈfī(-ə)r 

1

: firing or adapted for firing shots in rapid succession

2

: marked by rapidity, liveliness, or sharpness

a comedian with a rapid-fire delivery

Synonyms of rapid-fire

• rapid
• brisk
• quick
• fast
• galloping

Examples of rapid-fire in a Sentence

the witness stayed unruffled all through the prosecutor's rapid-fire questioning

Recent Examples on the Web

Its goofy, devil-may-care logic and rapid-fire comedy rarely translated to feature-length run times. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

For some startups, rapid-fire fundraising is becoming part of the strategic playbook—an effective means of taking on competition. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025

The most common way for an offense to force such a situation is the pick-and-roll, which almost always means having its best scorer call for a screen, causing the defense to make a series of rapid-fire decisions from a leveraged position. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 21 Nov. 2025

These communities can develop strong emotional investment, sometimes bordering on obsession, and shape online culture through in-jokes and rapid-fire discourse. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rapid-fire

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• ceasefire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer

Kids Definition

rapid-fire

adjective

rap·​id-fire

ˌrap-əd-ˈfī(ə)r

1

: able to fire shots rapidly

a rapid-fire weapon

2

: marked by a rapid rate or pace

spoke rapid-fire Spanish