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View synonyms for fast

fast

1

[ fast, fahst ]

adjective

, fast·er, fast·est.
  1. moving or able to move, operate, function, or take effect quickly; quick; swift; rapid: a fast pain reliever;

    a fast horse;

    a fast pain reliever;

    a fast thinker.

    Synonyms: speedy, fleet

    Antonyms: slow

  2. done in comparatively little time; taking a comparatively short time: fast work.

    a fast race;

    fast work.

    Synonyms: speedy, fleet

    Antonyms: slow

  3. (of time)
    1. indicating a time in advance of the correct time, as of a clock.
    2. noting or according to daylight-saving time.
  4. adapted to, allowing, productive of, or imparting rapid movement: one of the fastest pitchers in baseball.

    a hull with fast lines;

    one of the fastest pitchers in baseball.

  5. characterized by unrestrained conduct or lack of moral conventions, especially in sexual relations; wanton; loose:

    Some young people in that era were considered fast, if not downright promiscuous.

    Synonyms: prodigal, wild, immoral, profligate, dissolute, dissipated

    Antonyms: restrained

  6. characterized by hectic activity:

    leading a fast life.

    Antonyms: restrained

  7. resistant:

    acid-fast.

  8. firmly fixed in place; not easily moved; securely attached.

    Synonyms: firm, immovable, tight, secure

    Antonyms: loose

  9. held or caught firmly, so as to be unable to escape or be extricated:

    an animal fast in a trap.

    Synonyms: inextricable

  10. firmly tied, as a knot.
  11. closed and made secure, as a door, gate, or shutter.
  12. such as to hold securely:

    to lay fast hold on a thing.

  13. firm in adherence; loyal; devoted:

    fast friends.

    Synonyms: steadfast, faithful

  14. permanent, lasting, or unchangeable: a hard and fast rule.

    a fast color;

    a hard and fast rule.

    Synonyms: enduring

  15. Informal.
    1. (of money, profits, etc.) made quickly or easily and sometimes deviously:

      He earned some fast change helping the woman with her luggage.

    2. cleverly quick and manipulative in making money:

      a fast operator when it comes to closing a business deal.

  16. Photography.
    1. (of a lens) able to transmit a relatively large amount of light in a relatively short time.
    2. (of a film) requiring a relatively short exposure time to attain a given density.
  17. Horse Racing.
    1. (of a track condition) completely dry.
    2. (of a track surface) very hard.


adverb

, fast·er, fast·est.
  1. quickly, swiftly, or rapidly.
  2. in quick succession:

    Events followed fast upon one another to the crisis.

  3. to hold fast.

    Synonyms: tenaciously, fixedly, securely

  4. fast asleep.

  5. in a wild or dissipated way.

    Synonyms: prodigally, wildly, recklessly

  6. ahead of the correct or announced time.
  7. Archaic. close; near:

    fast by.

noun

  1. a fastening for a door, window, or the like.

fast

2

[ fast, fahst ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to abstain from all food.
  2. to eat only sparingly or of certain kinds of food, especially as a religious observance.

verb (used with object)

  1. to cause to abstain entirely from or limit food; put on a fast:

    to fast a patient for a day before surgery.

noun

  1. an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food, especially when voluntary and as a religious observance; fasting.
  2. a day or period of fasting.

fast

3

[ fast, fahst ]

noun

  1. a chain or rope for mooring a vessel.

fast

1

/ fɑːst /

adjective

  1. acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift
  2. accomplished in or lasting a short time

    fast work

    a fast visit

  3. prenominal adapted to or facilitating rapid movement

    the fast lane of a motorway

  4. requiring rapidity of action or movement

    a fast sport

  5. (of a clock, etc) indicating a time in advance of the correct time
  6. given to an active dissipated life
  7. of or characteristic of such activity

    a fast life

  8. not easily moved; firmly fixed; secure
  9. firmly fastened, secured, or shut
  10. steadfast; constant (esp in the phrase fast friends )
  11. sport (of a playing surface, running track, etc) conducive to rapid speed, as of a ball used on it or of competitors playing or racing on it
  12. that will not fade or change colour readily

    a fast dye

    1. proof against fading

      the colour is fast to sunlight

    2. ( in combination )

      washfast

  13. photog
    1. requiring a relatively short time of exposure to produce a given density

      a fast film

    2. permitting a short exposure time

      a fast shutter

  14. cricket (of a bowler) characteristically delivering the ball rapidly
  15. informal.
    glib or unreliable; deceptive

    a fast talker

  16. archaic.
    sound; deep

    a fast sleep

  17. informal.
    a deceptive or unscrupulous trick (esp in the phrase pull a fast one )
  18. fast worker
    a person who achieves results quickly, esp in seductions
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. quickly; rapidly
  2. soundly; deeply

    fast asleep

  3. firmly; tightly
  4. in quick succession
  5. in advance of the correct time

    my watch is running fast

  6. in a reckless or dissipated way
  7. fast by or fast beside archaic.
    close or hard by; very near
  8. play fast and loose informal.
    to behave in an insincere or unreliable manner
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

  1. archery (said by the field captain to archers) stop shooting!
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fast

2

/ fɑːst /

verb

  1. intr to abstain from eating all or certain foods or meals, esp as a religious observance
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. an act or period of fasting
    2. ( as modifier )

      a fast day

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈfaster, noun
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Other Words From

  • un·fasting adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fast1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fæst “firm”; cognate with Dutch vast, Old Norse fastr “firm,” German fest; akin to fast 2

Origin of fast2

First recorded before 1000; Middle English fasten, festen, Old English fæstan; cognate with German fasten, Gothic fastan, Old Norse fasta

Origin of fast3

First recorded in 1670–80; alteration, by association with fast 1( def ) (in the sense “firmly tied”), of late Middle English fest “fastening, mooring rope,” from Old Norse festr “mooring rope, cable,” from Old Norse fastr “fixed, firm”; fasten, fast 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fast1

Old English fæst strong, tight; related to Old High German festi firm, Old Norse fastr

Origin of fast2

Old English fæstan ; related to Old High German fastēn to fast, Gothic fastan
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. pull a fast one, Informal. to play an unfair trick; practice deceit:

    He tried to pull a fast one on us by switching the cards.

  2. play fast and loose. play ( def 80 ).

More idioms and phrases containing fast

  • get nowhere (fast)
  • hard and fast
  • pull a fast one
  • stand one's ground (fast)
  • thick and fast
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Synonym Study

See quick.
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Example Sentences

The motorcycle officer was speeding up the street so fast that “it did not seem safe ... before anything even happened,” Taylor said.

George Best, who knew a thing or two about fast cars and a fast lifestyle, had several.

From BBC

Leclerc went fastest with a lap at the end of the second session, but he had it deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn One.

From BBC

Women's health in the U.S. is falling behind other peer countries faster than men's.

"If people focus on urban areas for routine surveys, this could provide early warnings to new regions and faster response times to potentially limit the spread."

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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