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!

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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.

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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

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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 November of this year and the average monthly payment for a new car was estimated to be $760, according to J.D.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fast forward and with a degree in fine art, experience running a face-painting business and doing latte art for nine years, she now makes a living painting characters and scenes on the windows of homes and businesses where she lives in Dudleston Heath, Shropshire.

From BBC

Fast forward to the summer and she was a European Championship and Champions League winner.

From BBC

Fast forward to the film’s final frame and you’ll find the scene’s apt symbolic counterpoint.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fast forward to 2018, when Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

From Barron's