fast track

¹ American  

noun

1. a racetrack dry and hard enough for optimum speed.

2. a railroad track for express trains.

3. Informal. a situation or course of action that is intensely pressured or competitive, especially one in which a person advances rapidly to a higher level in a business or profession.

   With two promotions in six months, he seems to have chosen the fast track.

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idioms

1. on a / the fast track,

   1. advancing or being promoted more rapidly than usual, especially in business or other organizational positions.

      an executive on the fast track.

   2. expanding or being developed or handled rapidly and often innovatively.

      a company on the fast track in computer technology.

fast-track ² American  

[fast-trak, fahst-] / ˈfæstˈtræk, ˈfɑst- /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to advance or develop rapidly.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the fast track.

fast-track British  

adjective

1. denoting the quickest or most direct route or system

   fast-track executives

   a fast-track procedure for libel claims

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verb

1. (tr) to speed up the progress of (a project or person)

fast track More Idioms  

1. A situation involving high pressure, competition, and, especially, rapid success or advancement. For example, He was definitely on a fast track, becoming a partner after only five years in the firm, or This company was on the fast track in software development. This term alludes to a dry, hard horse track that enables horses to run at high speeds. [Colloquial; mid-1960s] Also see fast lane.

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Other Word Forms

• fast-tracker noun

Etymology

Origin of fast-track

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

She made no secret of her ambition to surpass Ceplak's mark on a notoriously fast track in Lievin following that statement performance, saying: "I feel like it is my record to break."

From BBC

Believing they were on a fast track to having their terminals reconnected, some soldiers were even tricked into making online payments totalling $5,000.

From BBC

Those benefits include a fast track to citizenship and access to local universities and schools.

From The Wall Street Journal

Raman had attempted to fast track her proposal, saying putting it on the June ballot would help diminish support for the Jarvis measure.

From Los Angeles Times

The science of interpersonal synchrony explains how “clicking” can be a fast track to intimacy—or drama.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accelerate
• assist
• facilitate
• hasten
• promote
• quicken
• speed
• urge