quick

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Moving or doing something at high speed, or taking only a short time.

   Grammar: Can come before a noun or after be: a quick walk, the walk was quick.

   Patterns

   • quick to do something
   • quick at something

   She took a quick look at the menu.

   He is a quick runner for his age.

   Let's have a quick break before we continue.

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Learning, understanding or reacting without delay.

   Grammar: Often followed by to plus a verb: quick to understand.

   Patterns

   • quick to do something
   • quick at something

   She is quick to learn new software.

   The goalkeeper's quick reactions saved the match.

   He was quick at mental arithmetic.

3. 3adverbnot comparableinformal

   Fast, or without delay.

   Grammar: Informal for quickly, especially in commands and short phrases: come quick.

   Patterns

   • as quick as something

   Come quick, the kettle is boiling over!

   He ran as quick as he could.

Word forms

Common combinations

a quick look

Take a quick look at the report before the meeting.

quick fix

There is no quick fix for the traffic problem.

quick learner

Our new colleague is a quick learner.

quick to react

Officials were quick to react to the news.

quick word

Can I have a quick word with you?

Synonyms and how they differ

fast

Stresses high speed of movement, while quick often stresses a short time or lack of delay.

rapid

Is more formal and suits change or growth, such as rapid progress.

brief

Means short in duration only and says nothing about speed.

prompt

Means done without delay, especially in answering or paying, and carries a sense of efficiency.

Opposites

Word family

quickly adverb

at high speed or without delay

quicken verb

to become or make faster

quickness noun

the quality of being fast

Commonly confused: quick or quickly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “quick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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