a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.
the button or other control that activates this function.
to advance an audio or video recording rapidly.
I always fast-forward through the TV ads that get recorded on my DVR.
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!
(sometimes not hyphenated) the control on a tape deck or video recorder used to wind the tape or video forward at speed
informal a state of urgency or rapid progress
my mind went into fast forward
(tr) to wind (a video or tape) forward using the fast-forward control
to deal with speedily
fast-forward the trials of the new drug
(intr) to move forward through a tape or video using the fast-forward control
(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
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But fast forward more than three decades to the present day and excitement for the return of the World Cup on American soil does not yet appear to have really taken off.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
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
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 feels like life on triple fast forward, where everyone’s voices sound like chipmunks.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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 just like, fast-forward, and she doesn’t stop moving.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
They hooked up this digital video recorder to a cable jack and showed how we could use it to record, pause, rewind and fast-forward live TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
Mom popped in a DVD for me and made sure my hands were properly positioned so I could rewind and fast-forward the him.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
