What does quick mean?
Quick is an everyday English word whose central sense is “fast.” As an adjective, it describes movement, work, responses, or learning that happens with little delay; it can also mean brief, such as a quick break, or prompt and attentive, such as a quick mind. As an adverb, quick or quickly says that something is done in a short time: “Come quick” has a more urgent and familiar tone than “Come quickly.” The word is usually neutral, although an impatient “Quick!” can sound commanding. Historically, quick also meant “alive,” a sense preserved in the solemn phrase “the quick and the dead.” That older meaning helps explain why the word remains vivid rather than feeling merely technical. In modern use, its flexibility allows it to describe both speed and the absence of delay, making it useful for everything from a quick glance to a quick decision. It is common in both British and American English and generally carries no regional restriction.
Moving, acting, or done with speed; brief, prompt, alert, or mentally agile.
"Despite his quick thinking, he could not prevent the mistake."
The adjective is highly versatile and can describe speed, brevity, responsiveness, agility, or rapid learning.
In a short time or with speed.
"Come quick—the train is about to leave."
Quick as an adverb is less frequent than quickly. Phrases such as “come quick” often have a familiar, urgent, or dramatic tone.
A living person, now chiefly archaic or literary, especially in the collective phrase “the quick and the dead.”
"In the old phrase, the quick and the dead are called to judgment."
As a noun, quick is rarely used in ordinary modern conversation and generally has a solemn or archaic register.
Rare and archaic; the collective expression “the quick” is much more usual.
"The survivors were the quicks, and all the others were dead."
The solemn phrase “the quick and the dead” preserves an ancient meaning of quick: alive.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quick come from?
Quick comes from Old English cwic, meaning “alive” or “living,” inherited from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz, a form with relatives in several Germanic languages. Its now-dominant sense of “fast” developed later, while the older sense survives in “the quick and the dead” and in words such as quicksilver. English derivatives including quicken, quickset, quicklime, and quicksilver preserve the same historical root.
Related word forms
How quick is actually used
The word is common and generally neutral in both British and American English. As a command, “Quick!” can sound impatient or demanding. The noun is now chiefly archaic or literary and is usually encountered collectively as “the quick.”