happening or done quickly and immediately; doing something quickly 迅即發生的;馬上做出的;迅速的 swift action 迅速的行動 a swift decision 迅即作出的決定 He rose to his feet in one swift movement. 他迅速站了起來。 - swift to do something
The White House was swift to deny the rumours. 白宮立刻對這些傳言予以否認。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
moving very quickly; able to move very quickly 速度快的;敏捷的;矯健的 a swift current 湍急的水流 a swift runner 跑得飛快的人
Which Word? fast / quick / rapidfast / quick / rapidThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:fast ~ quick ~ rapid ~ car glance change train look growth bowler reply increase pace decision decline lane way progress - Fast is used especially to describe a person or thing that moves or is able to move at great speed.
fast 尤用以描述高速運動的人或事物。 - Quick is more often used to describe something that is done in a short time or without delay.
quick 較常用以描述迅速或立即完成的事。 - Rapid, swift and speedy are more formal words.
rapid、swift 和 speedy 較正式。 - Rapid is most commonly used to describe the speed at which something changes. It is not used to describe the speed at which something moves or is done:
- a rapid train
- We had a rapid coffee.
- Swift usually describes something that happens or is done quickly and immediately:
a swift decision 迅即作出的決定 The government took swift action. 政府立即采取了行動。
- Speedy has a similar meaning:
speedy 與 swift 意思相近: a speedy recovery. 迅速恢複。
- a speedy car.
- For the use of fast and quick as adverbs, note at quick.
關於 fast 和 quick 作副詞的用法,見詞條 quick 的用法說明。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word OriginOld English (as an adjective), from the Germanic base of Old English swīfan ‘move in a course, sweep’. The bird name dates from the mid 17th cent.