Definition of rapid
: marked by a fast rate of motion, activity, succession, or occurrence
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rapidly
adverb
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Examples of rapid in a Sentence
There's been rapid growth in the number of new businesses in the town.
Scientists are concerned about the rapid disappearance of the island's coral reefs.
She carefully guided the boat through the rapid water.
Recent Examples of rapid from the Web
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But starting in the early 2000s, surveyors began to notice an abrupt and rapid decline in Poweshiek populations, Smith said.
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The company’s growth reflects rapid advances in personal medicine and genomics, Schadt said in a recent interview.
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Treatment and decontamination must be tailored and match the agent … making rapid identification critical.
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Details of the discovery were not released, but a warning was issued Wednesday for the state's veterinarians to be on the lookout for a rapid spread.
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President Trump himself has mastered the rapid-response theatrics of the strongman.
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To test how quickly neurons equipped with CatCh could process information, researchers exposed neurons to rapid bursts of laser light, up to 300 flashes per second.
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Her Name: Like me, Ronan was born in the 1990s and grew up in Ireland at a time of rapid social change.
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Partey’s rapid emergence in La Liga has seen the midfielder’s profile raised on the international stage, and at 25 he has been handed the captaincy for the Ghana national team.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rapid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of rapid
Latin rapidus seizing, sweeping, rapid, from rapere to seize, sweep away; akin to Lithuanian aprėpti to embrace
rapid Synonyms
Synonyms
blistering, breakneck, breathless, brisk, dizzy, fast, fleet, fleet-footed, flying, galloping, hasty, hot, lightning, nippy, quick, rapid-fire, rattling, snappy, speedy, splitting, swift, whirlwind, zippy;
Antonyms
slow;
Near Antonyms
crawling, dallying, dawdling, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, languid, lingering, plodding, poking, poky (or pokey), slowish, sluggish, unhurried;
Related Words
accelerated, hastened, hurried, quickened, rushed;
energetic, strenuous, strong, vigorous;
rush;
Synonym Discussion of rapid
fast, rapid, swift, fleet, quick, speedy, hasty, expeditious mean moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity. fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves
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- fast horses
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- rapid current
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- returned the ball with one swift stroke
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- fleet runners
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- a quick wit
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- speedy delivery of mail
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- a hasty inspection
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- the expeditious handling of an order
Definition of rapid
: a part of a river where the current is fast and the surface is usually broken by obstructions
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
Recent Examples of rapid from the Web
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Fishing, kayaking, hiking Lees Ferry offers access to a 14-mile stretch of calm water before the river descends through its famous rapids.
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On May 27, a deluge dumped more than 6 inches of rain in less than three hours on Ellicott City, Maryland, killing one person and transforming Main Street into what looked like Class V river rapids, with cars tossed about like rubber ducks.
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Experts use whitewater-specific rafts to kayak rapids that can’t be reached by truck.
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Part of the experience will also be some of the extras, like riders admiring a flock of up to 25 flamingoes — a peaceful moment before the journey through water rapids begins.
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Two days’ rafting on the river will encounter relatively mild Class I and II rapids.
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Water turned this street into raging rapids, rising right up through the doorways of buildings.
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Six Mile's turquoise waters wind between overhanging cliff walls and hammer down intimidating rapids.
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After drying off, take in the view from Wolf Creek Overlook, or kayak the Class III+ rapids on the namesake waterway when the water is right.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rapid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of rapid
1765
RAPID Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of rapid for English Language Learners
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: happening in a short amount of time : happening quickly
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: having a fast rate
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: moving quickly
RAPID Defined for Kids
Definition of rapid for Students
: very fast
- a rapid current
- rapid progress
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rapidly
adverbLearn More about rapid
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See words that rhyme with rapid Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rapid Spanish Central: Translation of rapid Nglish: Translation of rapid for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rapid for Arabic speakers
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