Meaning of fast in English

fast

adjective

/fæst/ uk

/fɑːst/

fast adjective (QUICK)

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moving or happening quickly, or able to move or happen quickly:

fast cars

a fast swimmer

Computers are getting faster all the time.

UK The fast train (= one that stops at fewer stations and travels quickly) to London takes less than an hour.

Synonyms

expeditious formal
quick 
rapid
speedy
swift 

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

fast

fastI tried to catch him, but he was too fast for me.
quickI tried to catch him, but he was too quick for me.
promptA prompt reply would be very much appreciated.
speedyEveryone is hoping for a speedy resolution to the conflict.
swiftThe teacher's swift action saved his life.

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If your watch or clock is fast, it shows a time that is later than the correct time.

art specialized

used to refer to photographic film that allows you to take pictures when there is not much light or when things are moving quickly

fast and furious

used to describe something that is full of speed and excitement:

It's not a relaxing movie - it's pretty fast and furious.

More examplesFewer examples

The police car was going so fast, it must have been chasing someone.
Isabel's heart was beating fast with fright.
We were scrabbling over the rocks as fast as we could.
I think the kitchen clock is fast.
Given his age, he's a remarkably fast runner.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Fast and rapid

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Watches & clocks

Photography

fast adjective (IMMORAL)

old-fashioned disapproving

without moral principles:

a fast crowd

a fast woman

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Morally wrong and evil

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fast adjective (FIXED)

If the color of a piece of clothing is fast, the color does not come out of the cloth when it is washed.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Paints, dyes & pigments

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Textiles: describing words

Continuous & permanent

Grammar

Fast, quick or quickly?

Fast and quick mean moving with great speed. Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly. …

fast

adverb

/fæst/ uk

/fɑːst/

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.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

at a fast speed

fastHe drives too fast for my liking.
quicklyThe problem needs to be solved as quickly as possible.
swiftlyHe left and returned swiftly.
brisklyWe walked briskly through the park.
precipitouslyShare prices dropped precipitously on the economic news.

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More examplesFewer examples

The police car was going so fast, it must have been chasing someone.
"You always walk too fast for me, " she said complainingly.
He drove so fast that I really felt my life was in danger.
The seats in the hall were filling up fast.
Poor standards of hygiene mean that the disease spreads fast.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Fast and rapid

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Grammar

Fast, quick or quickly?

Fast and quick mean moving with great speed. Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly. …

Idioms

as fast as your legs would carry you

play fast and loose with something/someone

fast

adverb, adjective

/fæst/ uk

/fɑːst/

firmly fixed:

stuck fast The glue had set and my hand was stuck fast.

stick fast When she tried to remove the ring, she found that it had stuck fast.

He tried to get away, but she held him fast.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Tight and tightening

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Grammar

Fast, quick or quickly?

Fast and quick mean moving with great speed. Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly. …

Idiom

hold/stand fast

fast

noun [ C ]

/fæst/ uk

/fɑːst/

a period of time when you eat no food:

Hundreds of prisoners began a fast in protest about prison conditions.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Diets & dieting

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fast

verb [ I ]

/fæst/ uk

/fɑːst/

to eat no food for a period of time:

One day a week he fasts for health reasons.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Abstaining and refraining

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Diets & dieting

(Definition of fast from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

fast | Intermediate English

fast

adjective [ -er/-est only ]

/fæst/

fast adjective [-er/-est only] (QUICK)

Add to word list Add to word list

moving or happening quickly or able to move or happen quickly:

a fast car

The fastest way to get there is by plane.

If your watch or clock is fast, it shows a time later than the real time.

Idiom

in the fast lane

fast

adjective, adverb [ not gradable ]

/fæst/

fast adjective, adverb [not gradable] (ATTACHED)

connected or attached in a way that is not easily unfastened:

Tie the boat fast to the pier.

fast

verb [ I ]

/fæst/

fast verb [I] (NOT EAT)

to have a period of time when you eat no food:

We will be fasting until sundown tomorrow.

fast

noun [ C ] us

/fæst/

They organized a fast to draw attention to the issue of hunger.

fast

adverb [ -er/-est only ]

/fæst/

fast adverb [-er/-est only] (QUICKLY)

quickly:

The accident was caused by people driving too fast in bad conditions.

This type of wilderness area is disappearing fast.

(Definition of fast from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of fast

fast

In the next couple of years, your phone is only going to get better, faster, and higher-res.

From WIRED

You can see metabolism slow down during fasting in people.

From Phys.Org

Strung together like this, the progress is remarkable and fast.

From Gizmodo

Everything moved so fast, he didn't believe it was all happening until he looked up and saw himself on the video screen.

From MLive.com

Not that the line between the two is hard and fast, these days.

From TechCrunch

Moving from a bootstrapped startup to a fast-growing, lucrative company is an exciting time for an organization.

From Fast Company

It's a bug that needs fixing, and fast.

From Ars Technica

Slots are filling up fast, though, so get a jump on booking your child's spot.

From New York Daily News

He was a really good football player, sharp and fast.

From CNN

Watch out for this stuff -- pisco goes fast.

From CNN

They're motivated, fast on their feet, and have original ideas.

From Fast Company

Other types of identity theft, including the filing of fraudulent tax returns, also are growing fast.

From USA TODAY

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of fast?

Translations of fast

in Chinese (Traditional)

快的, 迅速的, 敏捷的…

in Chinese (Simplified)

快的, 迅速的, 敏捷的…

in Spanish

rápido, veloz, estar adelantado…

in Portuguese

veloz, rápido, adiantado…

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वेगवान - वेगाने हलणारे किंवा घडणारे किंवा वेगाने हलणे किंवा घडणे शक्य असलेले, पुढे केलेले/गेलेले - जर तुमचे घड्याळ पुढे केलेले/गेलेले असेल तर ते बरोबर वेळेच्या पुढची वेळ दाखवते., वेगाने…

速い, 速く, しっかりと…

hızlı, süratli, çabuk…

rapide, en avance, rapidement…

ràpid, veloç, ràpidament…

snel, vlug, vóór…

விரைவாக நகரும் அல்லது நடக்கிறது, அல்லது விரைவாக நகர்த்த அல்லது நடக்க முடியும், உங்கள் கடிகாரம் அல்லது கடிகாரம் வேகமாக இருந்தால்…