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• fast track
  fast track

  noun

  a racetrack dry and hard enough for optimum speed.
• fast-track
  fast-track

  verb (used with or without object)

  to advance or develop rapidly.

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

Explanation

To fast-track something is to make it happen faster by bypassing standard delays. If a bakery has a big, last-minute order for cupcakes, they might fast-track production by bumping it to the front of the line. Synonyms for the verb fast-track include expedite and accelerate. The term originated in the railroad industry, referring to express lanes for high-speed trains. Today, it's used in business, legal, and career contexts. If a company decides to fast-track a new product, it will allocate extra resources and skip nonessential steps to beat competitors. The word is used as an adjective, too, often for employees on an accelerated career path: "Those fast-track executives keep getting promoted without much experience on the job!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fast track fast-track

Six years after the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world and put society on the fast track for self-destruction, the metaphor initially feels overbearing, another indication that Spielberg is laying it on too thick.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

The idea is to put cases on a "fast track".

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026

S&P Global Ratings is considering a fast track to the S&P 500, but hasn’t yet acted.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

So Pitino decided that the best investment was no longer an 18-year-old on the fast track to pro stardom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

He was going to have the luxury of a hard, fast track, but his problem would he traffic.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

In a social media message, he pledged to set up fast-track courts to try exam-cheating cases and said the well-being of India’s young people was a priority for him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

"Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth," he wrote on X, announcing fast-track courts to ensure "swift and stringent punishment" for those involved in paper leaks.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

In previous years, Ruiz and Kindelán said they would have headed for the U.S., where Cubans have long enjoyed a fast-track to a green card.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Diego Bollo views graduate school as a way to fast-track a career as an economic policy analyst and make him stand out to potential employers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

A compost pile is actually a fast-track method of changing crude organic materials into something resembling soil, called humus.

From Organic Gardener's Composting by Solomon, Steve

Related Words

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