Idioms are vibrant, quirky phrases that sprinkle our language with creativity, making conversations more engaging and dynamic. They often carry meanings far beyond their literal words, offering a playful way to express thoughts, emotions, or situations. For anyone looking to add a dash of flair to their communication, idioms are the perfect tool, especially when it comes to describing speed, urgency, or quick actions. These expressions are not only common in everyday speech but also pack a punch in making your point memorable. Speed-related idioms, in particular, resonate with fast-paced environments, encouraging quick thinking and adaptability—skills that are invaluable in today’s whirlwind world. In this blog post, you’ll discover 45 idioms centered around the theme of “quick,” complete with their meanings, example sentences, and alternative ways to say them. Plus, there’s a fun exercise to help you practice and weave these idioms into your vocabulary. Buckle up and let’s zip into the fast lane of idioms!
Idioms for Quick
1. Quick as a flash
Meaning: Extremely fast or instantaneous.
In a Sentence: When the bell rang, she was out of the classroom quick as a flash, eager to meet her friends at the park.
Other Ways to Say: Lightning fast, In a heartbeat
2. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Happening so quickly it’s barely noticeable.
In a Sentence: The magician made the rabbit disappear in the blink of an eye, leaving the audience gasping in amazement.
Other Ways to Say: Instantly, In a split second
3. Like greased lightning
Meaning: Moving at an incredibly high speed.
In a Sentence: He zoomed down the hill on his skateboard like greased lightning, leaving everyone in his dust.
Other Ways to Say: Super speedy, Fast as a bullet
4. Beat someone to the punch
Meaning: To act faster than someone else to achieve something first.
In a Sentence: I wanted to grab the last slice of pizza, but my brother beat me to the punch and snatched it right away.
Other Ways to Say: Get there first, Act quicker
5. On the double
Meaning: To do something very quickly or immediately.
In a Sentence: The coach shouted for us to line up on the double before the practice session started.
Other Ways to Say: Right now, Hurry up
6. Swift as an arrow
Meaning: Moving quickly and directly.
In a Sentence: The sprinter dashed across the finish line swift as an arrow, breaking the school record with ease.
Other Ways to Say: Straight and fast, Rapidly
7. In a jiffy
Meaning: In a very short amount of time.
In a Sentence: I’ll finish my homework in a jiffy so we can head to the arcade before it gets crowded.
Other Ways to Say: In no time, Quickly
8. Quick on the draw
Meaning: Fast to react or respond.
In a Sentence: She’s quick on the draw in debates, always ready with a clever comeback before anyone else can speak.
Other Ways to Say: Sharp responder, Fast thinker
9. Like a bat out of hell
Meaning: Moving extremely fast, often recklessly.
In a Sentence: When the fire alarm went off, everyone ran out of the building like a bat out of hell, not wasting a second.
Other Ways to Say: Crazy fast, At breakneck speed
10. Make it snappy
Meaning: To hurry up or do something quickly.
In a Sentence: The cashier asked me to make it snappy because there was a long line of customers waiting behind me.
Other Ways to Say: Speed it up, Be quick
11. In two shakes of a lamb’s tail
Meaning: Very quickly or in a short moment.
In a Sentence: I’ll grab my jacket and be ready to leave in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, so don’t worry about waiting long.
Other Ways to Say: In a snap, Right away
12. Quick as a wink
Meaning: Happening almost instantly.
In a Sentence: The thief snatched the wallet quick as a wink and vanished into the bustling crowd.
Other Ways to Say: In a flash, Super fast
13. At the drop of a hat
Meaning: Immediately, without hesitation.
In a Sentence: She’d join a dance party at the drop of a hat, always ready to show off her moves in an instant.
Other Ways to Say: Right away, On a whim
14. Fast and furious
Meaning: Happening quickly and with intense energy.
In a Sentence: The final moments of the basketball game were fast and furious, with both teams scoring rapidly.
Other Ways to Say: High-speed action, Frenzied pace
15. Zip through
Meaning: To complete something very quickly.
In a Sentence: I managed to zip through my math homework so I could join my friends for a quick game of soccer.
Other Ways to Say: Speed through, Rush through
16. Quick off the mark
Meaning: Fast to start or take action.
In a Sentence: He was quick off the mark when the project was announced, claiming the best topic before anyone else.
Other Ways to Say: First to act, Early starter
17. Like a shot
Meaning: Very quickly and without delay.
In a Sentence: When the concert tickets went on sale, she bought hers like a shot to secure the best seats.
Other Ways to Say: Instantly, In a hurry
18. In no time flat
Meaning: Extremely quickly, in a very short period.
In a Sentence: We cleaned the entire house in no time flat so we could relax before the guests arrived.
Other Ways to Say: Super quick, In a flash
19. Shake a leg
Meaning: To hurry up or move faster.
In a Sentence: Come on, shake a leg—we’re going to miss the bus if you don’t speed up!
Other Ways to Say: Get moving, Hurry up
20. Quick as lightning
Meaning: Exceptionally fast.
In a Sentence: The cheetah sprinted after its prey quick as lightning, catching it in mere seconds.
Other Ways to Say: Blazing fast, Rapid as thunder
21. At breakneck speed
Meaning: Dangerously or extremely fast.
In a Sentence: The roller coaster zoomed down the track at breakneck speed, making everyone scream with excitement.
Other Ways to Say: Insanely fast, Recklessly quick
22. Get a move on
Meaning: To start moving or acting faster.
In a Sentence: We need to get a move on if we want to finish setting up the party before the guests arrive.
Other Ways to Say: Hurry up, Speed it up
23. In a heartbeat
Meaning: Immediately or very quickly.
In a Sentence: If I had the chance to travel abroad, I’d say yes in a heartbeat, no questions asked.
Other Ways to Say: Right away, Instantly
24. Quick on your feet
Meaning: Able to think or react quickly.
In a Sentence: During the quiz show, she was quick on her feet, answering questions faster than her competitors.
Other Ways to Say: Sharp-witted, Fast-thinking
25. Like wildfire
Meaning: Spreading or happening very quickly.
In a Sentence: The rumor about the new phone release spread like wildfire through the school hallways.
Other Ways to Say: Rapidly spreading, Like a virus
26. Snap to it
Meaning: To act quickly or get started immediately.
In a Sentence: The teacher told us to snap to it and finish our group assignments before the bell rang.
Other Ways to Say: Get going, Hurry up
27. In the nick of time
Meaning: Just barely in time, at the last possible moment.
In a Sentence: I submitted my project in the nick of time, right before the deadline passed.
Other Ways to Say: Just in time, At the last second
28. Quick as a bunny
Meaning: Very fast, like a rabbit.
In a Sentence: She hopped out of bed quick as a bunny when she realized she was late for school.
Other Ways to Say: Fast as a hare, Speedy
29. Fly like the wind
Meaning: To move extremely fast.
In a Sentence: The cyclist pedaled down the mountain, flying like the wind past all the other racers.
Other Ways to Say: Zoom along, Race swiftly
30. Hustle and bustle
Meaning: Busy and fast-paced activity.
In a Sentence: The city streets were full of hustle and bustle as people rushed to work in the morning.
Other Ways to Say: Frenzied activity, Busy rush
31. Fast on the uptake
Meaning: Quick to understand or learn something.
In a Sentence: She’s fast on the uptake, grasping the new software in just a few minutes of practice.
Other Ways to Say: Quick learner, Sharp-minded
32. Dash off
Meaning: To leave or do something quickly.
In a Sentence: I had to dash off a quick note to my teacher before running to catch the bus.
Other Ways to Say: Hurry off, Scribble quickly
33. Like nobody’s business
Meaning: Extremely fast or intense.
In a Sentence: When the sale started, people grabbed items like nobody’s business, clearing the shelves in minutes.
Other Ways to Say: Crazy fast, Relentlessly quick
34. At lightning speed
Meaning: Incredibly fast, almost instantaneous.
In a Sentence: The new computer processed the data at lightning speed, finishing the task in seconds.
Other Ways to Say: Blazingly fast, Super rapid
35. Quick fix
Meaning: A fast but temporary solution.
In a Sentence: We used tape as a quick fix for the broken chair, but we’ll need to replace it soon.
Other Ways to Say: Temporary solution, Band-aid fix
36. In a flash
Meaning: Very quickly or suddenly.
In a Sentence: The storm clouds rolled in, and it started raining in a flash, soaking everyone outside.
Other Ways to Say: All of a sudden, Instantly
37. Run like the wind
Meaning: To move very quickly.
In a Sentence: When the dog saw the squirrel, it ran like the wind across the park to chase it.
Other Ways to Say: Speed along, Bolt away
38. Quick-witted
Meaning: Able to think and respond cleverly and fast.
In a Sentence: His quick-witted response during the interview impressed the entire panel of judges.
Other Ways to Say: Sharp-tongued, Fast-thinking
39. Chop-chop
Meaning: A command to hurry up or move quickly.
In a Sentence: The chef shouted “chop-chop” to the kitchen staff to get the orders out faster.
Other Ways to Say: Hurry up, Move it
40. Like a house on fire
Meaning: Very quickly and successfully.
In a Sentence: The team worked like a house on fire, finishing the project well ahead of schedule.
Other Ways to Say: Blazingly efficient, Super productive
41. Quick as a fox
Meaning: Fast and clever.
In a Sentence: She solved the puzzle quick as a fox, leaving her classmates amazed at her speed.
Other Ways to Say: Swift and smart, Rapidly cunning
42. Step on it
Meaning: To speed up or go faster.
In a Sentence: The taxi driver was told to step on it so we could make it to the airport on time.
Other Ways to Say: Floor it, Speed up
43. In a New York minute
Meaning: Extremely quickly, in an instant.
In a Sentence: If you offered me a free trip to Paris, I’d pack my bags in a New York minute.
Other Ways to Say: Right away, Super fast
44. Quick on the trigger
Meaning: Fast to act or respond, sometimes impulsively.
In a Sentence: He’s quick on the trigger with his jokes, always making everyone laugh before they expect it.
Other Ways to Say: Fast to react, Trigger-happy
45. Fast track
Meaning: To speed up a process or progress quickly.
In a Sentence: Her excellent grades helped her fast track through the advanced science program.
Other Ways to Say: Speed up, Accelerate progress
Practical Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
- When the race started, she took off _______ as a flash, leaving her competitors far behind.
- I finished my chores _______ a jiffy so I could join my friends at the skate park.
- The news about the concert spread _______ wildfire, and tickets sold out in hours.
- We need to _______ a move on if we want to catch the early movie showtime.
- He answered the teacher’s question _______ the blink of an eye, surprising everyone with his speed.
- The delivery driver was told to _______ on it to get the package to the customer before noon.
- I grabbed the last cupcake _______ nobody’s business, before anyone else could claim it.
- She’s _______ on the uptake, understanding the new game rules faster than anyone else.
- The team finished the presentation _______ no time flat, impressing the entire class.
- If you don’t _______ a leg, we’ll miss the bus and be late for the field trip.
- He solved the math problem _______ as a fox, earning praise from the teacher.
- We arrived _______ the nick of time, just as the concert was about to begin.
Answers:
quick, in, like, get, in, step, like, fast, in, shake, quick, in
Conclusion
Idioms for “quick” are a fantastic way to add energy and color to your conversations, making them more lively and expressive. These phrases not only help you describe speed and urgency but also bring a sense of fun to everyday communication. By practicing these idioms, you can sharpen your language skills and sound more natural in fast-paced discussions, whether at school, with friends, or in professional settings.
Keep experimenting with these expressions in real-life scenarios—sprinkle them into your chats, essays, or even presentations. With time, they’ll become second nature, helping you communicate with confidence and flair. Language is a powerful tool, and idioms like these make it a thrilling ride, so keep speeding through and enjoy the journey!