1
: keenly alert : lively
… a brisk old lady with no nonsense about her …—
Jean Stafford
Jean Stafford2
a
: pleasingly tangy
brisk tea
b
: fresh, invigorating
a brisk autumn day
3
: sharp in tone or manner
was very brisk on the phone
briskly
adverb
briskness
noun
brisked; brisking; brisks
: to make animated, energetic, or marked by much activity : to make brisk
: to become brisk
—usually used with up
business brisked up
Examples of brisk in a Sentence
Adjective
She answered the phone in a brisk voice.
They went for a brisk walk in the woods.
She walked at a brisk pace.
Business is brisk at the store.
There is a brisk market in old movie posters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 2 May 2026
Two batters into the top of the sixth, a sudden, aggressive rain began pouring down on Citizens Bank Park, prompting a brisk 24-minute delay.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
When the news came that a horse had scratched, a great stir rose, and several of the groomsmen who were sitting in the stalls with their horse wards scurried to start their brisk brushing to get the pine shavings off and used their jute sacks to spit-shine the coats slick.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Spoken words, brisk rhythms, and the pleasurable frictions of dissonance all remained frothy and intact.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brisk
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Adjective
The cabin was quiet, the ride smooth and the electric motors provided brisk acceleration when needed.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 2 May 2026
Two batters into the top of the sixth, a sudden, aggressive rain began pouring down on Citizens Bank Park, prompting a brisk 24-minute delay.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
When the news came that a horse had scratched, a great stir rose, and several of the groomsmen who were sitting in the stalls with their horse wards scurried to start their brisk brushing to get the pine shavings off and used their jute sacks to spit-shine the coats slick.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Spoken words, brisk rhythms, and the pleasurable frictions of dissonance all remained frothy and intact.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brisk
Cite this Entry
“Brisk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brisk. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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