Jump To:

• hard-and-fast
  hard-and-fast

  adjective

  strongly binding; not to be set aside or violated.
• hard and fast
  hard and fast

  adjective

  (hard-and-fast when prenominal) (esp of rules) invariable or strict

hard-and-fast

American  

[hahrd-n-fast, -fahst] / ˈhɑrd nˈfæst, -ˈfɑst /

adjective

1. strongly binding; not to be set aside or violated.

   hard-and-fast rules.

   Synonyms:

   unambiguous, rigorous, inviolable, inflexible, precise, fixed

---

hard and fast British  

adjective

1. (hard-and-fast when prenominal) (esp of rules) invariable or strict

---

hard and fast Idioms  

1. Defined, fixed, invariable, as in We have hard and fast rules for this procedure. This term originally was applied to a vessel that has come out of water, either by running aground or being put in dry dock, and is therefore unable to move. By the mid-1800s it was being used figuratively.

---

Other Word Forms

• hard-and-fastness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of hard-and-fast

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard-and-fast hard and fast

"But a blanket hard-and-fast rule isn't helpful, because it doesn't really allow for the intricacies and the individualisation of what's really going on."

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

In a well-known law review article, Justice Antonin Scalia—the court’s original originalist—argued that in addition or in connection to originalism, judges should create their own hard-and-fast rules.

From Slate ● May 5, 2026

Annoying, there is no hard-and-fast answer given in the report.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026

Also, California has few hard-and-fast rules on residency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

In a world where the rules kept changing from house to house, there was one hard-and-fast one.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

He cautioned the 20-million-barrel limit isn’t hard and fast, and operators would likely try to keep pumping crude out of the facility—albeit at a slower rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

You warned that what we believed to be hard and fast rules protecting the free press were really just soft norms.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

Vigorous exercise makes you breathe hard and fast.

From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026

Some retail investors feel safer seeking out larger firms with well-known brands rather than boutique investment firms, but there is no hard and fast rule that says one is better than the other.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 17, 2025

Tad closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his heart pounded hard and fast and loud and...No panicking.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau