a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.
the button or other control that activates this function.
to advance an audio or video recording rapidly.
I always fast-forward through the TV ads that get recorded on my DVR.
to skip over a period of time and arrive at a future point in the timeline, especially in narration.
Fast-forward six months, she’s gotten engaged and is moving to Europe!
(sometimes not hyphenated) the control on a tape deck or video recorder used to wind the tape or video forward at speed
informal a state of urgency or rapid progress
my mind went into fast forward
(tr) to wind (a video or tape) forward using the fast-forward control
to deal with speedily
fast-forward the trials of the new drug
(intr) to move forward through a tape or video using the fast-forward control
(usually foll by to) to direct one's attention towards a particular time or event, ignoring intervening material
fast-forward to the summer of 2008
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When you look at the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
He hasn’t watched live television in about a decade, using his TiVo to fast forward through commercials or speed past analysts’ banter during sports games.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
“So fast forward to now, that confusion remains on the books,” she said, speaking from Geneva.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 4, 2024
But fast forward to this century and vinyl has done something that very few expected - like an ageing, once-huge rock star it made a comeback.
From BBC • Sep. 22, 2023
Happy memories of the dad he used to be flash behind my eyes like a photo album on fast forward.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions 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.
