fast-forward

¹ 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!

---

fast forward ² American  

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

noun

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.

---

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

---

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

Etymology

Origin of fast-forward

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Fast forward to January 2026 and OpenAI has seemingly reached that last resort.

From MarketWatch

Then fast forward just six weeks to images of Wilson pouring out of Alexandra Palace on Sunday, as he lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy and celebrated his maiden Masters triumph with his family.

From BBC

Fast forward to October 2022 and, out of the blue, six very well-known people accused Associated Newspapers of not just accessing their voicemail messages and using private investigators to "blag" their personal information, but also bugging phones and aggressive surveillance techniques.

From BBC

Fast forward two months later, and Fed officials realized they had been wrong — badly.

From MarketWatch

Added Jaquez: “I love playing in the Big Ten for that reason. Everyone’s very competitive and playing top 25 teams is great. It’s going to prepare you for tournament time. We accept that challenge. We know we’re going to get everyone’s best game and that’ll only help us get better and grow. We focus on the day to day. You can’t fast forward to the end, you’ve got to get through these games first, do all the little things and the championship will be a byproduct of what we do.”

From Los Angeles Times