brisk

1 of 2

adjective

ˈbrisk 

1

: keenly alert : lively

a brisk old lady with no nonsense about her

—Jean Stafford

2

a

: pleasingly tangy

brisk tea

b

: fresh, invigorating

a brisk autumn day

3

: sharp in tone or manner

was very brisk on the phone

4

a

: energetic, quick

took a brisk walk

at a brisk pace

b

: marked by much activity

business was brisk

briskly adverb

briskness noun

brisk

2 of 2

verb

brisked; brisking; brisks

transitive verb

: to make animated, energetic, or marked by much activity : to make brisk

intransitive verb

: to become brisk

—usually used with up

business brisked up

Synonyms

Adjective

• active
• airy
• animate
• animated
• bouncing
• energetic
• frisky
• gay
• jaunty
• jazzy
• kinetic
• lively
• mettlesome
• peppy
• perky
• pert
• pizzazzy
• pizazzy
• racy
• snappy
• spanking
• sparky
• spirited
• sprightly
• springy
• vital
• vivacious
• zippy

Examples of brisk in a Sentence

Adjective

She answered the phone in a brisk voice.

They went for a brisk walk in the woods.

She walked at a brisk pace.

Business is brisk at the store.

There is a brisk market in old movie posters.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Regular exercise such as brisk walking re-calibrates a fatigued brain and reduces your risk of developing anxiety by almost 60%. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

For moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, women could do half the amount of men each week to achieve the benefit. —Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 20 Mar. 2024

An immigration agent, driving on an overpass amid the sea of billboards, reflected on the city’s brisk migrant business. —Karishma Mehrotra, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024

The brisk rate of advancement, though exciting from a pure innovation perspective, is clearly a cause for anxiety among workers in the entertainment and media industries. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Hesitant to Regulate On a brisk November day, ProPublica and Capital & Main reporters examined a Remnant well that, like the company, was listed in state records as inactive. —Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 22 Feb. 2024

The brisk pace required to cover so much ground in just eight hours is a mixed blessing. —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Mar. 2024

Sales have been at a brisk pace, and lot reservations are being accepted, so interested buyers are encouraged to come out as soon as possible to experience in-person all that Bristol Highlands has to offer. —Weichert Realtors® Welch & Company, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024

In the industrialized north, the brisk cross-border trade has created more factory work. —Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024

Verb

The flag and the extreme shift in my environment from humid deep-summer East Coast to brisk and cool saltwater breezes carrying the promise and vague threat of glaciers seemed to confirm it. —Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 14 May 2023

As in all Taycans, a two-speed automatic transmission on the rear axle enables brisk off-the-line acceleration and more efficient high-speed cruising. —Nelson Ireson, Car and Driver, 27 Apr. 2021

THE VIBE IS: brisk and professional, if borderline chaotic. —Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit, 13 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

probably modification of Middle French brusque

Verb

verbal derivative of brisk entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

brisk

adjective

ˈbrisk

1

: very active or alert : lively

2

: very refreshing

brisk autumn weather

3

: energetic, quick

a brisk pace

briskly adverb

briskness noun