fast
moving or happening quickly, or able to move or happen quickly
the fastest runner in the world
Oxford Essential Dictionary
adjective (faster, fastest)
1 moving, happening or doing something very quickly:
the fastest rate of increase for many years
a fast learner
which word?
Fast or quick? We say fast for a person or thing that moves at great speed: a fast car • a fast train • a fast worker. We say quick for something that is done in a short time: a quick answer • a quick visit • a quick meal.
2 If a clock or watch is fast, it shows a time that is later than the real time:
My watch is five minutes fast.
opposite slow
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
II. fast2 S2 W2 adjective
[Language: Old English; Origin: fæst 'firm']
1. MOVING QUICKLY moving or able to move quickly:
a fast car
He’s one of the fastest runners in the world.
2. IN A SHORT TIME doing something or happening in a short time:
The subway is the fastest way to get downtown.
The company must give a faster response to clients’ requests.
The rain forests are being chopped down at an alarmingly fast rate.
I’m a fast learner.
3. CLOCK [not before noun] a clock that is fast shows a later time than the real time:
That can’t be the time – my watch must be fast.
five minutes/an hour etc fast
I always keep my watch 15 minutes fast.
4. fast track a way of achieving something more quickly than is normally done
on the fast track
a young actress on the fast track to fame and success
5. fast road a road on which vehicles can travel very quickly
6. fast film/lens a film or lens(2) that can be used when there is little light, or when photographing something that is moving very quickly
7. COLOUR a colour that is fast will not change when clothes are washed ⇒ colourfast
8. SPORTS a fast surface is one on which a ball moves very quickly
9. fast and furious done very quickly with a lot of effort and energy, or happening very quickly with a lot of sudden changes:
Arsenal’s opening attack was fast and furious.
10. somebody is a fast worker informal used to say that someone can get what they want very quickly, especially in starting a sexual relationship with another person
11. fast talker someone who talks quickly and easily but is often not honest or sincere
12. WOMAN old-fashioned becoming involved quickly in sexual relationships with men:
fast cars and fast women
13. fast friends literary two people who are very friendly for a long time
⇒ fast food, fast-forward, fast lane, ⇒ make a fast buck at buck1(1), ⇒ pull a fast one at pull1(10)
| THESAURUS |
▪ fast moving or able to move quickly: The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world. | a fast car
▪ quick moving fast or doing something in a short time: He was much quicker than I was over the first 100 metres. | Do I have time for a quick shower?
▪ high-speed [only before noun] designed to travel or operate very quickly: a high-speed train | high-speed Internet access
▪ rapid especially written happening in a short period of time – used about changes, increases, improvements etc: a rapid increase in the population | the rapid expansion of the firm’s business in the Middle East | a rapid decline in profits
▪ swift written moving quickly or happening after only a short time: The horses ran along the track at a swift trot. | He received a swift response to his letter.
▪ brisk quick and energetic: a brisk walk in the countryside | His manner was very brisk.
▪ speedy [only before noun] happening after only a short time: Everyone wishes you a speedy recovery. | a speedy resolution to the problem
▪ hurried done more quickly that usual, because you do not have much time: She ate a hurried breakfast in the cafe before catching her train. | We made a hurried departure.
▪ hasty deciding or doing something very quickly, especially when this has bad results: It was a hasty decision, which he later regretted. | Let’s not be too hasty.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fast
fast [fast fasts fasted fasting faster fastest] adjective, adverb, verb, noun [fɑːst] [fæst]
adjective (fast·er, fast·est)
QUICK
1. moving or able to move quickly
• a fast car/horse
• the world's fastest runner
2. happening in a short time or without delay
• the fastest rate of increase for years
• a fast response time
3. able to do sth quickly
• a fast learner
SURFACE
4. producing or allowing quick movement
• a fast road/pitch
see also fast lane
WATCH/CLOCK
5. not before noun showing a time later than the true time
• I'm early— my watch must be fast.
• That clock's ten minutes fast.
PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM
6. (technical) very sensitive to light, and therefore useful when taking photographs in poor light or of sth that is moving very quickly
FIRMLY FIXED
7. (of a boat, etc.) firmly fixed and safe
• He made the boat fast.
COLOURS IN CLOTHES
8. not likely to change or to come out when washed There is no noun related to fast. Use speed in connection with vehicles, actions, etc; quickness is used about thinking.
more at make a fast/quick buck at buck n., be quick/fast on the draw at draw n., hard and fast at hard adj., pull a fast one at pull v.
Word Origin:
adj. and adv. Old English fæst ‘firmly fixed, steadfast’ fæste ‘firmly’ Germanic Dutch vast German fest ‘firm, solid’ fast ‘almost’ Middle English ‘strongly, vigorously’ run hard ‘close, immediate’ fast by hard by ‘closely, immediately’ ‘quickly’
v. and n. Old English fæstan Germanic Dutch vasten German fasten fasta
Thesaurus:
fast adj.
• She loves driving fast cars.
quick • • rapid • • brisk • • swift • • high-speed • • express • • supersonic • • speedy • • hurried • |often disapproving hasty •
Opp: slow
be fast/quick at doing sth
a fast/quick/rapid/brisk/swift movement/pace
a fast/quick reader/worker/learner/rhythm
a/an fast/high-speed/express train/link
Fast or quick? Use fast to talk about travelling:
• a fast road/car
¤ a quick road/car A person may be fast or quick, but fast is not used in expressions where sb does sth in a short time:
• a fast/quick reader/runner/learner
• The kids were quick to learn.
¤ The kids were fast to learn.
Synonyms:
fast / quick / rapid
These adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:
Fast is used especially to describe a person or thing that moves or is able to move at great speed.
Quick is more often used to describe something that is done in a short time or without delay.
Rapid, swift and speedy are more formal words.
Rapid is most commonly used to describe the speed at which something changes. It is not used to describe the speed at which something moves or is done: a rapid train ◊ We had a rapid coffee.
Swift usually describes something that happens or is done quickly and immediately: ▪ a swift decision ◊ ▪ The government took swift action.
Speedy has a similar meaning: ▪ a speedy recovery. It is used less often to talk about the speed at which something moves: a speedy car.
For the use of fast and quick as adverbs, see the usage note at quick.
Example Bank:
• Her pulse seemed very fast.
• I should make a very fast profit on these.
• I suppose delivery in two days is pretty fast, really.
• Are you a fast reader with the ability to retain the key points?
• He's just become the world's fastest runner.
• It's a very fast road and people do not realize what speed they are doing.
• She loves driving fast cars.
• These are complex programs needing very large and fast computers.
• We can guarantee a fast response time.
• We've recorded the fastest rate of increase for several years.
Idioms: as fast as your legs can carry you ▪ fast and furious ▪ fast talker ▪ fast worker ▪ hold fast to something ▪ play fast and loose ▪ stand fast
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fast
fast (IMMORAL) /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
adjective OLD-FASHIONED DISAPPROVING
without moral principles:
a fast crowd
a fast woman
fast (NOT EAT) /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
noun [C]
a period of time when you eat no food:
Hundreds of prisoners began a fast in protest about prison conditions.
fast /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
verb [I]
One day a week he fasts for health reasons.
fast (FIXED) /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
adverb, adjective
firmly fixed:
The glue had set and my hand was stuck fast.
He tried to get away, but she held him fast.
fast /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
adjective
If the colour of an item of clothing is fast, the colour does not come out of the cloth when it is washed.
fastness /ˈfɑːst.nəs/ US /ˈfæst-/
noun [U]
how fast (= fixed) something is:
Test clothes for colour fastness before washing.
fast (QUICK) /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
adjective
1 moving or happening quickly, or able to move or happen quickly:
fast cars
a fast swimmer
Computers are getting faster all the time.
The fast train (= one that stops at fewer stations and travels quickly) to London takes less than an hour.
2 If your watch or clock is fast, it shows a time that is later than the correct time.
3 SPECIALIZED describes photographic film which allows you to take pictures when there is not much light or when things are moving quickly
fast /fɑːst/ US /fæst/
adverb
quickly:
The accident was caused by people driving too fast in bad conditions.
You'll have to act fast.
Children's publishing is a fast-growing business.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
fast
[fɑ͟ːst, fæ̱st]
♦♦
faster, fastest, fasts, fasting, fasted
1) ADJ-GRADED Fast means happening, moving, or doing something at great speed. You also use fast in questions or statements about speed.
...fast cars with flashing lights and sirens...
Brindley was known as a very, very fast driver...
The party aims to attract votes from the business and professional communities, which want a faster pace of political reform...
The only question is how fast the process will be.
Syn:
quickly
Ant:
slowly
ADV-GRADED: ADV with v
Fast is also an adverb. They work terrifically fast... It would be nice to go faster and break the world record... He thinks they're not adapting fast enough... Barnes also knows that he is fast running out of time... How fast were you driving?... How fast would the disease develop?
2) ADV-GRADED: ADV after v You use fast to say that something happens without any delay.
When you've got a crisis like this you need professional help - fast!...
We'd appreciate your leaving as fast as possible.
Syn:
swift
ADJ-GRADED: ADJ n
Fast is also an adjective. That would be an astonishingly fast action on the part of the Congress.
3) ADJ-GRADED: v-link ADJ If a watch or clock is fast, it is showing a time that is later than the real time.
That clock's an hour fast.
4) ADJ: ADJ n The fast lane on a motorway or highway is intended for the vehicles which are travelling at the greatest speeds.
A man was killed as he walked down the fast lane of a motorway yesterday.
Ant:
slow
5) ADV-GRADED: ADV after v If you hold something fast, you hold it tightly and firmly. If something is stuck fast, it is stuck very firmly and cannot move.
She climbed the staircase cautiously, holding fast to the rail...
The tanker is stuck fast on the rocks.
Syn:
firmly
6) ADV-GRADED: ADV after v If you hold fast to a principle or idea, or if you stand fast, you do not change your mind about it, even though people are trying to persuade you to.
We can only try to hold fast to the age-old values of honesty, decency and concern for others...
He told supporters to stand fast over the next few vital days.
Syn:
firmly
7) ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ If colours or dyes are fast, they do not come out of the fabrics they are used on when they get wet.
The fabric was ironed to make the colours fast.
8) ADJ: ADJ n A fast way of life is one which involves a lot of enjoyable and expensive or dangerous activities.
Life in Detroit no longer satisfied him; he wanted the fast life of California.
Syn:
exciting
Ant:
dull
9) VERB If you fast, you eat no food for a period of time, usually for either religious or medical reasons, or as a protest.
I fasted for a day and half and asked God to help me.
Ant:
gorge
Derived words:
fasting N-UNCOUNT ...the Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer.
N-COUNT
Fast is also a noun. The fast is broken at sunset, traditionally with dates and water.
10) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v Someone who is fast asleep is completely asleep.
When he went upstairs five minutes later, she was fast asleep.
11) PHRASE: V inflects (disapproval) If you say that someone is playing fast and loose, you are expressing disapproval of them for behaving in a deceitful, immoral, or irresponsible way.
There have been people who have played fast and loose with the rules.
12) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone has pulled a fast one on you, you mean that they have cheated or tricked you. [INFORMAL]
No doubt someone had pulled a fast one on her over a procedural matter.
13) make a fast buck → see buck
fast lane → see lane
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fast /ˈfæst, Brit ˈfɑːst/ adj fast·er; -est
1 [more ~; most ~]
a : moving or able to move quickly
• She's a very fast runner.
• a fast car
• a fast pitch
• maintaining a fast [=quick] pace
• blazingly/blindingly fast
b : happening quickly : taking a short amount of time
• a fast race
• We're off to a fast start.
• We're now experiencing a faster rate of inflation.
• I'd like to take a fast [=(more commonly) quick] look at my records.
c : operating quickly
• a fast computer
d : doing something or able to do something quickly
• a fast learner
e : allowing movement at a great speed
• a fast road
• We took the faster route.
- see also fast lane, fast track
2 of a clock or watch : showing a time that is later than the correct time
• My watch is (ten minutes) fast.
3 photography : allowing photographs to be taken very quickly or when there is very little light
• fast film
4 informal
a : tricky and unfair
• Be careful that he doesn't pull a fast one on you. [=that he doesn't trick or deceive you]
b : earned or gotten quickly and often in a dishonest way
• She's always looking to make a fast buck.
• fast money
c : quick and not safe to trust
• He gave us a lot of fast talk about how he was going to solve all our problems.
- see also fast-talk
5 old-fashioned + humorous
a : actively seeking excitement or pleasure : wild
• He runs with a pretty fast crowd.
• fast living
b of women : very willing to have sex
• a typical Western filled with outlaws, gamblers, and fast women
6 a : placed, tied, or attached in a way that is not easily moved
• Make the rope fast [=tie the rope securely] to the anchor.
b : closed tightly
• Make sure the door is fast. [=(more commonly) shut fast]
c : impossible to change - used in the phrase hard and fast
• There are no hard and fast rules to be followed when you plan a vacation. [=there are many ways to plan a vacation]
d : not likely to fade
• fast colors
7 : very loyal or faithful
• They became fast friends.
fast and furious : in a very fast and forceful way : with one thing following another very quickly
✦The phrase fast and furious is used both as an adjective and as an adverb.
• The action was fast and furious.
• The questions were coming at me fast and furious.
• The jokes were flying fast and furious.
play fast and loose
- see 1play
