fast forward
1 Americannoun
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a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.
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the button or other control that activates this function.
verb (used with or without object)
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to advance an audio or video recording rapidly.
I always fast-forward through the TV ads that get recorded on my DVR.
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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!
noun
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(sometimes not hyphenated) the control on a tape deck or video recorder used to wind the tape or video forward at speed
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informal a state of urgency or rapid progress
my mind went into fast forward
verb
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(tr) to wind (a video or tape) forward using the fast-forward control
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to deal with speedily
fast-forward the trials of the new drug
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(intr) to move forward through a tape or video using the fast-forward control
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(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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Goldblum reassured her, promising that in the blink of an eye, we would fast forward decades into the future, where it would be "the longest-running show ever".
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
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
But fast forward to today and Chris and Carrie are engaged, set to marry this December.
From BBC • May 24, 2025
The fast forward signed to be one of the Kraken’s top scoring threats hadn’t found the net since Jan. 4 — his only goal of the season.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024
It was as though Harry’s memory was on fast forward.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
