fast
1done in comparatively little time; taking a comparatively short time: a fast race;fast work.
(of time)
indicating a time in advance of the correct time, as of a clock.
noting or according to daylight-saving time.
adapted to, allowing, productive of, or imparting rapid movement: a hull with fast lines;one of the fastest pitchers in baseball.
characterized by unrestrained conduct or lack of moral conventions, especially in sexual relations; wanton; loose: Some young people in that era were considered fast, if not downright promiscuous.
characterized by hectic activity: leading a fast life.
resistant: acid-fast.
firmly fixed in place; not easily moved; securely attached.
held or caught firmly, so as to be unable to escape or be extricated: an animal fast in a trap.
firmly tied, as a knot.
closed and made secure, as a door, gate, or shutter.
such as to hold securely: to lay fast hold on a thing.
permanent, lasting, or unchangeable: a fast color;a hard and fast rule.
Informal.
(of money, profits, etc.) made quickly or easily and sometimes deviously: He earned some fast change helping the woman with her luggage.
cleverly quick and manipulative in making money: a fast operator when it comes to closing a business deal.
Photography.
(of a lens) able to transmit a relatively large amount of light in a relatively short time.
(of a film) requiring a relatively short exposure time to attain a given density.
Horse Racing.
(of a track condition) completely dry.
(of a track surface) very hard.
quickly, swiftly, or rapidly.
in quick succession: Events followed fast upon one another to the crisis.
a fastening for a door, window, or the like.
Idioms about fast
play fast and loose. play (def. 80).
pull a fast one, Informal. to play an unfair trick; practice deceit: He tried to pull a fast one on us by switching the cards.
Origin of fast
1synonym study For fast
Other words for fast
| 1, 2 | fleet, speedy |
| 5 | dissipated, dissolute, profligate, immoral; wild; prodigal |
| 8 | secure, tight, immovable, firm |
| 9 | inextricable |
| 13 | faithful, steadfast |
| 14 | enduring |
| 20 | securely, fixedly, tenaciously |
| 22 | recklessly, wildly, prodigally |
Opposites for fast
Other definitions for fast (2 of 3)
to abstain from all food.
to eat only sparingly or of certain kinds of food, especially as a religious observance.
to cause to abstain entirely from or limit food; put on a fast: to fast a patient for a day before surgery.
an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food, especially when voluntary and as a religious observance; fasting.
a day or period of fasting.
Origin of fast
2Other words from fast
- un·fast·ing, adjective
Other definitions for fast (3 of 3)
a chain or rope for mooring a vessel.
Origin of fast
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use fast in a sentence
Asian-Americans are a group of persuadable swing voters, growing faster than any other group in America today.
Their clear priorities : faster economic growth and promoting upward mobility for the middle and working classes.
Eggs, he says, are a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol faster.
Perhaps the most Jewish part of the 6th Annual Latke Festival was that the food went way faster than the liquor.
The 247 was the first airplane really to define the form of a modern airliner, flying faster and higher than any predecessor.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room | Clive Irving | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The clock struck ten, and clerks poured in faster than ever, each one in a greater perspiration than his predecessor.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensOne thing was certain: Grandfather Mole could travel much faster through the water than he could underground.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyShe groaned aloud, and her tears flowed faster: Alessandro was making the baby's coffin.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonShe walked faster, and would not look at him; but he, in his ignorance, misinterpreted these signs egregiously.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonSquinty turned around, standing on the edge of the little brook, and waited, his heart beating faster and faster.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard Barnum
British Dictionary definitions for fast (1 of 2)
/ (fɑːst) /
acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift
accomplished in or lasting a short time: fast work; a fast visit
(prenominal) adapted to or facilitating rapid movement: the fast lane of a motorway
requiring rapidity of action or movement: a fast sport
(of a clock, etc) indicating a time in advance of the correct time
given to an active dissipated life
of or characteristic of such activity: a fast life
not easily moved; firmly fixed; secure
firmly fastened, secured, or shut
steadfast; constant (esp in the phrase fast friends)
sport (of a playing surface, running track, etc) conducive to rapid speed, as of a ball used on it or of competitors playing or racing on it
that will not fade or change colour readily: a fast dye
proof against fading: the colour is fast to sunlight
(in combination): washfast
photog
requiring a relatively short time of exposure to produce a given density: a fast film
permitting a short exposure time: a fast shutter
cricket (of a bowler) characteristically delivering the ball rapidly
informal glib or unreliable; deceptive: a fast talker
archaic sound; deep: a fast sleep
informal a deceptive or unscrupulous trick (esp in the phrase pull a fast one)
fast worker a person who achieves results quickly, esp in seductions
quickly; rapidly
soundly; deeply: fast asleep
firmly; tightly
in quick succession
in advance of the correct time: my watch is running fast
in a reckless or dissipated way
fast by or fast beside archaic close or hard by; very near
play fast and loose informal to behave in an insincere or unreliable manner
archery (said by the field captain to archers) stop shooting!
Origin of fast
1British Dictionary definitions for fast (2 of 2)
/ (fɑːst) /
(intr) to abstain from eating all or certain foods or meals, esp as a religious observance
an act or period of fasting
(as modifier): a fast day
Origin of fast
2Derived forms of fast
- faster, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with fast
In addition to the idioms beginning with fast
- fast and furious
- fast and loose
- fast buck
- fast lane
- fast track
also see:
- get nowhere (fast)
- hard and fast
- pull a fast one
- stand one's ground (fast)
- thick and fast
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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