lightning

adjective

Definition of lightningnext
as in rapid
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed he made a lightning dash for the goal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lightning Digital assets are moving at hyper-lightning speed. — Manny Khan, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning
  1. rapid
  2. quick
  3. fast
  4. brisk
  5. galloping
  6. swift
Adjective
  • Prices are subject to rapid, unpredictable changes due to factors like, but not limited to, supply/demand, weather, and geopolitical events.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • This all comes amid rapid technological, social and economic change in China.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley There may still be questions about whether the romance between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley was genuine, and their secret, quick-turn overseas wedding didn't help matters.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • But upon closer inspection Mbiya appears significantly leaner and quicker.
    — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
Definition of quick
Adjective
  • The iconic fast food company has grown beyond its California roots in recent years, opening locations in Colorado, Texas, Idaho, and as far east as Tennessee.
    — James Powel, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • From climate change to drug discovery, quantum computing is expected to be solve problems at a pace where even the fastest supercomputers appear to be slow-moving snails.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Definition of fast
Adjective
  • The vineyard is the site of a Christmas tree farm, and tends to be crisp and brisk, like the resulting wines.
    — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 5 July 2026
  • There are brisk 7am forest walks, group yoga, breath work, and a class on Lanserhof healing exercises, which combine stretching, tapping, and movement.
    — Clare Coulson, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of brisk
Adjective
  • As his health faded in the last year of his life, Neruda rushed to finish his story, which gives the last chapters of his book a galloping, fragmented quality.
    — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 June 2021
  • Designed by renowned architect Dominique Perrault, its four stories tilting forward are said to evoke a galloping horse.
    — Rob Hodgetts at Longchamp, CNN, 15 Oct. 2019
Definition of galloping
Adjective
  • Its lightweight frame packages a swift 5-minute charge option that hooks up 3 hours of extra listening, Multi-Point device switching, and Voice Aware side-tone monitoring for phone calls.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026
  • Dent works to instill a culture of swift response anytime a light outside a room door flashes on.
    — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026
Definition of swift

Phrases Containing lightning

Browse Nearby Words

lightness
lightning
lightning rod
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lightning

Nglish: Translation of lightning for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All