fast
1done in comparatively little time; taking a comparatively short time: a fast race;fast work.
(of time)
indicating a time in advance of the correct time, as of a clock.
noting or according to daylight-saving time.
adapted to, allowing, productive of, or imparting rapid movement: a hull with fast lines;one of the fastest pitchers in baseball.
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.
characterized by hectic activity: leading a fast life.
resistant: acid-fast.
firmly fixed in place; not easily moved; securely attached.
held or caught firmly, so as to be unable to escape or be extricated: an animal fast in a trap.
firmly tied, as a knot.
closed and made secure, as a door, gate, or shutter.
such as to hold securely: to lay fast hold on a thing.
permanent, lasting, or unchangeable: a fast color;a hard and fast rule.
Informal.
(of money, profits, etc.) made quickly or easily and sometimes deviously: He earned some fast change helping the woman with her luggage.
cleverly quick and manipulative in making money: a fast operator when it comes to closing a business deal.
Photography.
(of a lens) able to transmit a relatively large amount of light in a relatively short time.
(of a film) requiring a relatively short exposure time to attain a given density.
Horse Racing.
(of a track condition) completely dry.
(of a track surface) very hard.
quickly, swiftly, or rapidly.
in quick succession: Events followed fast upon one another to the crisis.
a fastening for a door, window, or the like.
Idioms about fast
play fast and loose. play (def. 80).
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.
Origin of fast
1synonym study For fast
Other words for fast
| 1, 2 | fleet, speedy |
| 5 | dissipated, dissolute, profligate, immoral; wild; prodigal |
| 8 | secure, tight, immovable, firm |
| 9 | inextricable |
| 13 | faithful, steadfast |
| 14 | enduring |
| 20 | securely, fixedly, tenaciously |
| 22 | recklessly, wildly, prodigally |
Opposites for fast
Words Nearby fast
Other definitions for fast (2 of 3)
to abstain from all food.
to eat only sparingly or of certain kinds of food, especially as a religious observance.
to cause to abstain entirely from or limit food; put on a fast: to fast a patient for a day before surgery.
an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food, especially when voluntary and as a religious observance; fasting.
a day or period of fasting.
Origin of fast
2Other words from fast
- un·fast·ing, adjective
Other definitions for fast (3 of 3)
a chain or rope for mooring a vessel.
Origin of fast
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use fast in a sentence
“It’s a big goal, but I think we could do $75-100 million in sales next year with Fabletics Men, which is our first full year with this line, which would be very, very fast growth,” Goldenberg says.
Fabletics’ Adam Goldenberg and Kevin Hart on what’s next for the activewear empire | Lucas Matney | September 17, 2020 | TechCrunchThe upshot is a technology that provides a fast and low cost way to reduce emissions, Johnson told TechCrunch.
ClearFlame Engine Technologies takes aim at cleaning up diesel engines | Kirsten Korosec | September 17, 2020 | TechCrunchHuoseh would challenge his players to record the fastest times possible in their runs before ending the session with a scrimmage and a visit to a nearby Subway for lunch.
A Canadian Teenager Is One Of The Fastest Soccer Players In The World | Julian McKenzie | September 16, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightTogether with astrophysicists Ke Fang of Stanford University and Ben Margalit of the University of California, Berkeley, Metzger calculated the energies of any neutrinos that would have been produced by the fast radio burst seen in April.
Neutrinos could reveal how fast radio bursts are launched | Lisa Grossman | September 16, 2020 | Science NewsThe tablet comes with a so-called A12 Bionic chip, designed by Apple, that gives it a 40% CPU speed boost and graphics that are twice as fast as last year’s model.
Everything announced at Apple’s ‘Time Flies’ event today | rhhackettfortune | September 15, 2020 | Fortune
The focus here was on how fast oil would come out of the Canadian fields.
Both high fashion and the fast, commercial fashion of Target are supposed to be about aspiration.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem | Danielle Belton | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd if people find themselves dissatisfied with how often they turn to fast food, Bacon says to try things like batch cooking.
While grocery shopping a guy I had noticed following me earlier, walked by me really fast and said, ‘You look shorter in person.’
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex | Aurora Snow | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIncidentally, Rousteing has no qualms with fast-fashion brands appropriating his designs either.
The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThere are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddYou see, they always butter their chairs so that they won't stick fast when they sit down.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylYou see, I am the city undertaker, and the people are dying here so fast, that I can hardly supply the demand for coffins.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousAnd since he was a very fast runner—for short distances—he met Grandfather Mole just as the old chap was crawling up the bank.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
British Dictionary definitions for fast (1 of 2)
/ (fɑːst) /
acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift
accomplished in or lasting a short time: fast work; a fast visit
(prenominal) adapted to or facilitating rapid movement: the fast lane of a motorway
requiring rapidity of action or movement: a fast sport
(of a clock, etc) indicating a time in advance of the correct time
given to an active dissipated life
of or characteristic of such activity: a fast life
not easily moved; firmly fixed; secure
firmly fastened, secured, or shut
steadfast; constant (esp in the phrase fast friends)
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
that will not fade or change colour readily: a fast dye
proof against fading: the colour is fast to sunlight
(in combination): washfast
photog
requiring a relatively short time of exposure to produce a given density: a fast film
permitting a short exposure time: a fast shutter
cricket (of a bowler) characteristically delivering the ball rapidly
informal glib or unreliable; deceptive: a fast talker
archaic sound; deep: a fast sleep
informal a deceptive or unscrupulous trick (esp in the phrase pull a fast one)
fast worker a person who achieves results quickly, esp in seductions
quickly; rapidly
soundly; deeply: fast asleep
firmly; tightly
in quick succession
in advance of the correct time: my watch is running fast
in a reckless or dissipated way
fast by or fast beside archaic close or hard by; very near
play fast and loose informal to behave in an insincere or unreliable manner
archery (said by the field captain to archers) stop shooting!
Origin of fast
1British Dictionary definitions for fast (2 of 2)
/ (fɑːst) /
(intr) to abstain from eating all or certain foods or meals, esp as a religious observance
an act or period of fasting
(as modifier): a fast day
Origin of fast
2Derived forms of fast
- faster, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with fast
In addition to the idioms beginning with fast
- fast and furious
- fast and loose
- fast buck
- fast lane
- fast track
also see:
- get nowhere (fast)
- hard and fast
- pull a fast one
- stand one's ground (fast)
- thick and fast
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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