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• fast forward
  fast forward

  noun

  a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.
• fast-forward
  fast-forward

  verb (used with or without object)

  to advance an audio or video recording rapidly.

fast forward

¹ American  

[fast fawr-werd, fahst-] / ˈfæst ˈfɔr wərd, ˈfɑst- /

noun

• fast forwards
  plural

1. a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.

2. the button or other control that activates this function.

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fast-forward ² American  

[fast-fawr-werd, fahst-] / ˈfæstˈfɔr wərd, ˈfɑst- /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to advance an audio or video recording rapidly.

   I always fast-forward through the TV ads that get recorded on my DVR.

2. to skip over a period of time and arrive at a future point in the timeline, especially in narration.

   Fast-forward six months, she’s gotten engaged and is moving to Europe!

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fast-forward British  

noun

1. (sometimes not hyphenated) the control on a tape deck or video recorder used to wind the tape or video forward at speed

2. informal a state of urgency or rapid progress

   my mind went into fast forward

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verb

1. (tr) to wind (a video or tape) forward using the fast-forward control

2. to deal with speedily

   fast-forward the trials of the new drug

3. (intr) to move forward through a tape or video using the fast-forward control

4. (usually foll by to) to direct one's attention towards a particular time or event, ignoring intervening material

   fast-forward to the summer of 2008

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fast forwards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fast-forward

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fast forward fast-forward

To use a tool filled with other people’s stolen ideas in order to fast forward to an end result for attention, well, that isn’t art.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Australian Test cricket has hit the fast forward button harder than most.

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

When you look at the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2025

He hasn’t watched live television in about a decade, using his TiVo to fast forward through commercials or speed past analysts’ banter during sports games.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

Happy memories of the dad he used to be flash behind my eyes like a photo album on fast forward.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Then hit the fast-forward button, all the way to October 1542, when sailors aboard a Spanish ship captained by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo laid eyes on the coast of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

To understand why, fast-forward one year, when insurers will be offering plans for 2027.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 11, 2025

So Mr. Sheeran explains that he’s going to fast-forward through the slowdown, and does.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

It’s easy to miss the real wins—not the fast-forward to the dog licking your face, but the moment he feels safe enough to pee.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025

“I want to fast-forward to next September,” she says.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King