fast

1 of 5

adjective

1
a
: firmly fixed
roots fast in the ground
b
: tightly shut
the drawers were fast
c
: adhering firmly
The boards were fast a few hours after being glued together.
d
: not easily freed : stuck
a ball fast in the mouth of the cannon
e
: stable
movable items were made fast to the deck
2
: firmly loyal
became fast friends
3
a
: characterized by quick motion, operation, or effect:
(1)
: moving or able to move rapidly : swift
a fast horse
(2)
: taking a comparatively short time
a fast race
(3)
: imparting quickness of motion
a fast bowler
(4)
: accomplished quickly
fast work
(5)
: agile of mind
especially : quick to learn
a class for fast students
b
: conducive to rapidity of play or action
a fast track
c(1)
of a timepiece or weighing device : indicating in advance of what is correct
Your clock is two minutes fast.
(2)
: according to or being daylight saving time
d
: contributing to a shortening of exposure time
fast film
e
: acquired with unusually little effort and often by shady or dishonest methods
had a keen eye for a fast buckR. A. Keith
4
a
: securely attached
a rope fast to the wharf
b
: tenacious
a fast hold on her purse
5
a
archaic : sound asleep
b
of sleep : not easily disturbed
fell into a fast sleep
6
: not fading or changing color readily
fast colors
7
a
: actively seeking excitement and pleasure : wild
a pretty fast crowd
b
: sexually promiscuous
8
: resistant to change (as from destructive action or fading)
fast dyes
often used in combination
sunfast
acid-fast bacteria

fast

2 of 5

adverb

1
: in a firm or fixed manner
stuck fast
2
: in a sound manner : deeply
fast asleep
3
a
: in a rapid manner : quickly
b
: in quick succession
4
: in a reckless or dissipated manner
5
: ahead of a correct time or schedule
6
archaic : close, near

fast

3 of 5

verb

fasted; fasting; fasts

intransitive verb

1
: to abstain from food
2
: to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods

fast

4 of 5

noun (1)

1
: the practice of fasting
2
: a time of fasting

fast

5 of 5

noun (2)

: something that fastens (such as a mooring line) or holds a fastening
Choose the Right Synonym for fast

fast, rapid, swift, fleet, quick, speedy, hasty, expeditious mean moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity.

fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves

fast horses

and rapid to the movement itself.

rapid current

swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.

returned the ball with one swift stroke

fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.

fleet runners

quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.

a quick wit

speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment

speedy delivery of mail

and may also suggest unusual velocity.

hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.

a hasty inspection

expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.

the expeditious handling of an order

Examples of fast in a Sentence

Adjective She's a very fast runner. We're off to a fast start. We're now experiencing a faster rate of inflation. We took the faster route. Adverb The boss expects this to be done this afternoon, so you'd better work fast. He ran as fast as he could. This is fast becoming a national problem. You need to act fast to take advantage of this offer. I don't know what caused the accident. It all happened so fast. She's a woman who can think fast in a crisis. He's going to have to talk fast to get himself out of this mess. The window was stuck fast. She held fast to her belief in justice. We must stand fast and not surrender! Verb She always fasts on Yom Kippur. Patients must fast for six hours before having the procedure.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Following the ceremony, the actor was photographed eating at the beloved fast food joint alongside his trophy. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Per the time zone adjusted fast national ratings, Sunday’s telecast drew 19.5 million viewers and a 3.8 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic airing from 7:00-10:29 p.m ET. Joe Otterson, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 This technical and demanding circuit features a unique figure-eight layout and fast esses. Brad Spurgeon, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Fever, fast breathing, and lightheadedness are the main symptoms that Russ Kino, MD, medical director of the emergency management department at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, looks for in patients with a life-threatening infection called sepsis. Kayla Hui, Verywell Health, 10 Mar. 2024 Look up the list of the players with the fastest Combine 40s and see how many amounted to something great in The League. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 With a more captive audience comes a faster spread of information and a more rapid feedback loop, so nailing key messaging is more crucial than ever. Jennifer Acree, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Instead, the failure of AI to deliver as big or fast as Wall Street deems may prove the kryptonite that busts the blast. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 The hubbub came in response to comments made by Kirk Tanner, the fast food chain's president and CEO, during a Feb. 15 earnings call. Joe Hernandez, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024
Adverb
But falling prices for many Chinese products — because of a glut of output in China — mean that the physical quantity of exports and their global market share are rising much faster. Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Both Erickson and Russell were unsurprised to learn that the number of hate crimes had risen faster in states with conservative laws. John D. Harden, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Some parts, including the forest’s central and southeast regions, have been warming even faster, at a rate of 0.6 degrees per decade. Quentin Septer, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 That’s probably because land warms faster than ocean with much of the U.S. as land and most of the globe as ocean, Ms. Gleason said. Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 The researchers found that while walleye are spawning slightly earlier in the spring, ice-off dates are shifting three times faster. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 The first quarter was essentially a standstill, but the Panthers did start out fast in the second quarter. Erick Taylor, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Priceline: Act fast because Disney adults (and their kids) booking through Priceline can currently save up to 20 percent on select Disney resort hotels when traveling through March 24. Dan Koday, Travel + Leisure, 29 Feb. 2024 Businesses that do will get workers who are more qualified, who can be hired faster, who will bring new ideas, and who will stick around. Steven Lee, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
So the release of a new style of beer, based on a very old style one once enjoyed during Lent by fasting German Monks, was cause for celebration. Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 Business How fasting, tai chi and a rooftop garden help this art restorer reach peak concentration Sept. 28, 2023 3 p.m. The work day comes to the 3 p.m. change of shift. Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Church leaders connect this length of time to the 40-day period that Jesus fasted in the desert. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2024 The public attention on his fasting habits seemed to have caught Sunak off guard. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024 To know exactly how varying factors impact you, Dr. Comite recommends using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to learn your fasting glucose and unique response to activities, food, stress, and more. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 22 Jan. 2024 After the iftar, hundreds of seers marched to Mr. Ali’s home to break the Hindu Ekadashi fast with seviyan, a traditional sweet prepared by Muslims on festive occasions. Shweta Desai, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jan. 2024 This feeding frenzy is followed by an important period of fasting after mothers stop feeding their pups. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024 Attia takes 400 to 500 milligrams of magnesium oxide daily, when not fasting. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 14 Jan. 2024
Noun
That means setting up a dozen medical tents on the plaza and organizing iftar dinners after sunset to celebrate the end of the daily fast for tens of thousands of worshipers. Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The fast is believed to help participants focus on what’s most important in one’s life, as well as increase self-discipline, renew one’s faith and seek out forgiveness. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2024 Special beer would be brewed by the monks for that purpose — stronger, richer and darker to sustain the monks during their fast. Don Tse, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The dates are a reference to the Prophet Muhammad eating dates to break his fast. Jordan Green, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 And with 2024 fast approaching, the issue doesn't appear to be going anywhere. Shawna Mizelle, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2023 The goal of the 21-day financial fast is to stop spending mindlessly. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024 Sensing the need for an olive branch, Mr. Gyan Das, then head priest of the city’s historic Hanuman Garhi temple, invited 1,000 Muslims to the temple premises during Ramadan to break their daily fast. Shweta Desai, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jan. 2024 The fast is longer among the northern elephant seals, at about 56 days, compared to 37 days for their southern counterparts. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Adverb

Middle English, from Old English fæst; akin to Old High German festi firm, Old Norse fastr, Armenian hast

Verb and Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English fæstan

Noun (2)

alteration of Middle English fest, from Old Norse festr rope, mooring cable, from fastr firm

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fast was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fast

Cite this Entry

“Fast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fast

1 of 4 adjective
1
a
: firmly fixed or bound
b
: tightly shut
c
: sticking firmly
2
: firmly loyal
became fast friends
3
a
: moving or able to move rapidly
b
: taking a short time
c
: giving quickness of motion (as to a thrown ball)
d
: favorable to speed
the faster route
4
: indicating ahead of the correct time
my clock is fast
5
: tricky and unfair
pulled a fast one
6
: not likely to fade
fast colors

fast

2 of 4 adverb
1
: in a fixed manner
stuck fast
2
: in a complete manner : soundly, deeply
fast asleep
3
: with great speed
a building fast going to ruin

fast

3 of 4 verb
1
: to go without eating
2
: to eat in small amounts or only certain foods

fast

4 of 4 noun
1
: the act of fasting
2
: a time of fasting
Etymology

Adjective

Old English fæst "firmly fixed"

Verb

Old English fæstan "to go without eating"

Medical Definition

fast

1 of 3 adjective
1
: firmly fixed
2
a
: having a rapid effect
a fast medicine
b
: allowing for the rapid passage of a gas or liquid
3
: resistant to change (as from destructive action)
used chiefly of organisms and in combination with the agent resisted
acid-fast bacteria

fast

2 of 3 intransitive verb
1
: to abstain from food
2
: to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods

transitive verb

: to deny food to
the patient is fasted and given a mild hypnoticLancet

fast

3 of 3 noun
1
: the practice of fasting
2
: a time of fasting

More from Merriam-Webster on fast

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