- present participle of fast.
fasting
Americannoun
-
fastings
plural
adjective
-
abstaining from eating or drinking, from certain foods or drinks, or from a particular habitual activity for a period.
-
(of a blood sugar test or its result) using or based on blood taken from a person after they have abstained from eating for a prescribed period.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Explanation
Fasting is going for a certain length of time without eating anything. Sometimes fasting is required before you have surgery, like getting your wisdom teeth removed. Often fasting is done for medical or health reasons, or in an attempt to lose weight. For many other people, fasting is an important part of their religious observance. Fasting is done by Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Jews, among other groups. Fasting comes from fast, which in turn has an Old English root, fæsten, "voluntary abstinence from food or drink, especially as a religious duty."
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.
See Examples For:
"We lived a quiet normal life, fasting for a few days then having a small meal," Shukrani said.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The study’s lead author even went so far as to say that the existing evidence for intermittent fasting doesn’t justify the hype seen on social media.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Research suggests that intermittent fasting may improve blood-sugar control in people with Type 2 diabetes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
After Wangchuk and others were moved to hospital, Neha continued fasting despite having lost 8kg.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
His life was always directed by the art of thinking, waiting and fasting.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
Sometimes it would be in an over-weening desire to rule, and then his rule would go far and beyond that of Francis', in fastings, and similar austerities.
From Brother Francis Less than the least by Eileen Douglas
He was greatly exercised in mind, too; and had he been a Roman Catholic priest he would probably have submitted himself to fastings and other penitential exercises.
From The New Mistress A Tale by George Manville Fenn
Like the ancient monks, Jesus practised long fastings and abstained from flesh meats, though he ate fish and vegetables.
From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Richard B. Westbrook
For even if he thinks much of his own holy prayers and fastings in contrast to a poor sinner like me, yet he has not called me a brothelkeeper and archknave, as he has Christ.
From Works of Martin Luther With Introductions and Notes (Volume I) by Martin Luther
He is worn out with long fastings and continued abstinence and prayer.
From A Search For A Secret (Vol 3 of 3) A Novel by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
