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
This newsroom-wide project will bring fast facts to developing stories to ensure accountability in the actions and statements of local officials and institutions. Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Capcom published a post on Steam that points out many of the DLC items can be obtained in the game without paying real money, including the character editor and fast travel capability. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024 Miners compete to be the first to solve complex problems that are rewarded with crypto; because the chances of solving it first are infinitesimally small, miners have an advantage by using more and faster computers, which translates into intense energy demands. Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 These are the fastest growing counties in the U.S. These counties had the largest population increases Southern hospitality:More people moved to the South last year than any other region. USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 The fast food restaurant was reinspected on Thursday and received a green placard. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024 Starting on March 26, the fast food chain is selling some of their most popular items for $1, one day a week and for one hour only. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024 In recent years, as the state has experienced record-breaking heatwaves, cooks at fast food chains, warehouse workers and delivery drivers have repeatedly raised concerns about high temperatures. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 And for fast charging on the go, consider this portable iPhone charger that’s a whopping 70 percent off. Michael Stefanov, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The 10-minute bike ride back home couldn’t end fast enough. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024 But some people will age faster and die younger from toxic stressors than others. Lawson R. Wulsin, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024 That shift is happening much faster in former French colonies than in former British ones, according to Boniface Dulani, the director of surveys for Afrobarometer, a nonpartisan research organization. Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 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
Verb
In particular, fasting diets like ProLon trigger autophagy. Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 24 Mar. 2024 The meeting coincided with the second night of the holy month of Ramadan, during which many Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The fact that pythons can fast for long periods without any apparent consequences could help farmers hedge against future supply chain disruptions, which are becoming increasingly common amid climate change. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024 With eating out becoming more of a luxury, restaurants use such deals to help draw customers to fast casual and fast food chains. Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Observers will begin fasting for the next month from sunrise to sunset and engaging in activities that challenge their self-restraint and bring them closer to God. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 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
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 28 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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