Fast — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb verb noun /ˈfast/

Meaning & Definition of Fast

Fast (adjective)

  1. characterized by quick motion, operation, or effect:
  2. moving or able to move rapidly, swift
  3. taking a comparatively short time

Fast (adverb)

  1. in a firm or fixed manner
  2. in a sound manner, deeply
  3. in a rapid manner, quickly

Fast (verb)

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

Fast (noun)

  1. the practice of fasting
  2. a time of fasting
  3. something that fastens (such as a mooring line) or holds a fastening

Fast (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. with great speed

    "run as fast as you can to get help"

    similar: apace, briskly, chop-chop, double-quick, fleetly, full tilt, hastily, hell-for-leather, hot, lickety-split, posthaste, presto, pronto, quick, quickly, rapidly, snappily, soon, speedily, swift, swiftly, a mile a minute, at full throttle, at full tilt, by leaps and bounds, in a hurry, in short order, like a shot, like gangbusters, like wildfire
    related: immediately, promptly, readily, impetuously, impulsively, rashly, recklessly, abruptly, suddenly, energetically, vigorously
    opposite: slow, slowly
    near: laggardly, lingeringly, ploddingly, sluggishly, deliberately, leisurely, belatedly, delinquently, tardily

  2. to a full extent or degree

    "everyone in camp was fast asleep within minutes of hitting the sack"

    similar: all, all of, all over, altogether, clean, completely, dead, enough, entire, entirely, even, exactly, flat, full, fully, heartily, out, perfectly, plumb (chiefly dialect), quite, soundly, thoroughly, through and through, totally, utterly, well, wholly, wide, all the way, at length, down the line, down to the ground, for fair, in whole, to bits, to pieces, to the hilt, to the max
    related: absolutely, categorically, cold, downright, hands down, plain, stone, stone-cold, unqualifiedly, basically, by and large, chiefly, generally, largely, mainly, more or less, mostly, overall, predominantly, predominately, primarily, principally, substantially, abundantly, copiously, generously, greatly
    opposite: half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly
    near: barely, hardly, just, kind of, marginally, minimally, scarcely, slightly, superficially, approximately, roughly, somewhat

Fast (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed

    "the fast pace of construction resulted in our new house being done ahead of schedule"

    similar: blistering, breakneck, breathless, brisk, dizzy, fleet, fleet-footed, flying, galloping, hasty, hot, lightning, nippy, quick, rapid, rapid-fire, rattling, snappy, speedy, splitting, swift, whirlwind, zippy, at speed (chiefly British)
    related: expeditious, prompt, ready, accelerated, hastened, hurried, quickened, rushed, breathtaking, energetic, strenuous, strong, vigorous, high-speed, rush, ultrafast, ultrarapid
    opposite: slow
    near: crawling, dallying, dawdling, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, languid, lingering, plodding, poking, poky, slowish, sluggish, unhurried, deliberate, leisurely, measured, dilatory, late, tardy, ultraslow

  2. firm in one's allegiance to someone or something

    "the two girls soon became fast and inseparable friends"

    similar: constant, dedicated, devoted, devout, down-the-line, faithful, good, loyal, pious, staunch, steadfast, steady, true, true-blue
    related: dependable, dutiful, reliable, responsible, solid, tried, tried-and-true, trustworthy, trusty, unfaltering, unhesitating, unwavering, determined, intent, resolute, confirmed, dyed-in-the-wool, inveterate, sworn, ardent, avid, enthusiastic, fervent, fervid, gung ho, impassioned, passionate, serious
    opposite: disloyal, faithless, false, fickle, inconstant, perfidious, recreant, traitorous, treacherous, unfaithful, untrue
    near: irresponsible, undependable, unreliable, untrustworthy, faltering, hesitant, vacillating, wavering, dubious, irresolute, shaky, uncertain, apathetic, dispassionate, uninterested

  3. firmly positioned in place and difficult to dislodge

    "the rusty, old screws are so fast in the fitting that there's no hope of getting them out"

    similar: firm, frozen, jammed, lodged, set, snug, stuck, tight, wedged
    related: bonded, cemented, glued, anchored, clamped, embedded, entrenched, impacted, implanted, attached, bound, fastened, secured, immovable, unyielding
    opposite: insecure, loose
    near: detached, dislodged, freed, loosened, unattached, unbound, undone, unfastened, unsecured, movable, yielding

  4. given to or marked by cheating and deception

    "rolling back odometers was just one of the fast practices that the used-car dealer was guilty of"

    similar: bent (chiefly British), crooked, deceptive, dishonest, double-dealing, duplicitous, fraudulent, guileful, rogue, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand, underhanded
    related: unconscionable, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, false, artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, subtle, wily, defrauding, devious, furtive, slippery, sneaking, sneaky, trickish, tricky, insidious, perfidious, treacherous
    opposite: aboveboard, honest, straight
    near: conscientious, decent, ethical, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright, forthright, straightforward

  5. marked by the ability to withstand stress without structural damage or distortion

    "as the storm approached, we checked to see that every thing on the outside of the house was fast and locked in position"

    similar: bombproof, firm, sound, stable, stalwart, strong, sturdy
    related: dependable, durable, reliable, infrangible, irrefragable, unbreakable, beefy, solid, cohesive, tough
    opposite: rickety, unsound, unstable, unsteady
    near: infirm, insecure, weak, shaky, tottering, tottery, unbalanced, wobbly, unsubstantial

  6. not lasting for a considerable time

    "after a fast explanation of the procedure, we were turned loose to do the work"

    similar: brief, little, short
    related: shortish, abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut-back, shortened, syncopated, compact, condensed, abrupt, sudden, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, short-lived, transient, transitory, impermanent, compendious, concise, crisp, epigrammatic, laconic, pithy, succinct, summary, terse, short-range, short-term
    opposite: extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-drawn-out, long-lived
    near: endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, unending, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, long-range, long-term

  7. having or showing quickness of mind

    "I don't know how to operate this machine, but I'm a fast learner"

    similar: alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, exceptional, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart
    related: apt, ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, heady, insightful, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, genial, highbrow, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained, creative, inventive, judicious, prudent, sage, sane, sensible, sound, crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily, logical, rational, reasonable
    opposite: airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thickheaded, thick-witted, unbrilliant, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded, witless
    near: feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, half-baked, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, silly, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, nonintellectual, unacademic, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, harebrained, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, tomfool, unwise, wacky, zany

Fast (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in famine, hunger strike

    similar: famine, hunger strike, craving, sweet tooth, gluttony, gourmandism, greed, hoggishness, malnutrition, starvation, undernourishment, rapaciousness, rapacity, ravenousness, voraciousness, voracity, appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, hunger, munchies, stomach
    opposite: inappetence, fill, fullness, glut, repleteness, repletion, satiation, satiety, satisfaction, surfeit

Fast (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in diet

    similar: diet
    opposite: cram, glut, gorge, sate, stuff, surfeit, gobble, gormandize, pig out, gulp, guzzle

Related Entry: Fast-track (verb)

Fast-track is a different word from Fast. The synonyms below are for fast-track, not for fast.

  1. to cause to move or proceed fast or faster

    "we're going to fast-track this project so that the product is in the stores for the holiday shopping season"

    similar: accelerate, bundle, hasten, hurry, quicken, rush, speed (up), whisk
    related: drive, goad, prod, propel, push, race, spur, stir, urge, aid, dispatch, ease, encourage, expedite, facilitate
    opposite: brake, decelerate, retard, slow (down)
    near: delay, encumber, fetter, hamper, hinder, hobble, hold back, hold up, impede, interfere (with), manacle, rein (in), restrain, shackle, tie up, trammel, arrest, check, stall, stay, still, stop

Related Entry: Fast-forward (verb)

Fast-forward is a different word from Fast. The synonyms below are for fast-forward, not for fast.

  1. as in accelerate, speed

    similar: accelerate, speed, advance, come, come along, do, fare, forge, get along, get on, go, go along, go off, march, pace, proceed, progress, approach, near, journey, pass, repair, run, travel, wend, actuate, drive, impel, propel, push, take out
    opposite: remain, stand, stay, stop, arrest, balk, block, check, detain, halt, hinder, hold back, impede, nip, obstruct, slow (down or up), stem, repress, retard, stunt, suppress, delay, interrupt, stall, cramp, hamper, inhibit, cease, let up, pause, regress, wait

Related Entry: Fast-forwarded (verb)

Fast-forwarded is a different word from Fast. The synonyms below are for fast-forwarded, not for fast.

  1. as in accelerated, sped

    similar: accelerated, sped, advanced, came, came along, did, fared, forged, got along, got on, marched, paced, proceeded, progressed, went, went along, went off, approached, neared, journeyed, passed, ran, repaired, traveled, wended, actuated, drove, impelled, propelled, pushed, took out
    opposite: remained, stayed, stood, stopped, arrested, balked, blocked, checked, detained, halted, held back, hindered, impeded, nipped, obstructed, slowed (down or up), stemmed, repressed, retarded, stunted, suppressed, delayed, interrupted, stalled, cramped, hampered, inhibited, ceased, let up, paused, regressed, waited

Related Entry: Fast-forwarding (verb)

Fast-forwarding is a different word from Fast. The synonyms below are for fast-forwarding, not for fast.

  1. as in accelerating, speeding

    similar: accelerating, speeding, advancing, coming, coming along, doing, faring, forging, getting along, getting on, going, going along, going off, marching, pacing, proceeding, progressing, approaching, nearing, journeying, passing, repairing, running, traveling, wending, actuating, driving, impelling, propelling, pushing, taking out
    opposite: remaining, standing, staying, stopping, arresting, balking, blocking, checking, detaining, halting, hindering, holding back, impeding, nipping, obstructing, slowing (down or up), stemming, repressing, retarding, stunting, suppressing, delaying, interrupting, stalling, cramping, hampering, inhibiting, ceasing, letting up, pausing, regressing, waiting

Related Entry: Fast-forwards (verb)

Fast-forwards is a different word from Fast. The synonyms below are for fast-forwards, not for fast.

  1. as in accelerates, speeds

    similar: accelerates, speeds, advances, comes, comes along, does, fares, forges, gets along, gets on, goes, goes along, goes off, marches, paces, proceeds, progresses, approaches, nears, journeys, passes, repairs, runs, travels, wends, actuates, drives, impels, propels, pushes, takes out
    opposite: remains, stands, stays, stops, arrests, balks, blocks, checks, detains, halts, hinders, holds back, impedes, nips, obstructs, slows (down or up), stems, represses, retards, stunts, suppresses, delays, interrupts, stalls, cramps, hampers, inhibits, ceases, lets up, pauses, regresses, waits

Related Entry: Fast-talk (verb)

Fast-talk is a different word from Fast. The synonyms below are for fast-talk, not for fast.

  1. as in urge, cajole

    similar: blandish, blarney, cajole, coax, entreat, exhort, urge, wheedle, argue, bring, bring around, convert, convince, gain, get, induce, move, persuade, prevail (on or upon), satisfy, talk (into), win (over), allure, beguile, lead on, lure, seduce, snow, tempt, brainwash, overpersuade, incline, influence, prompt, sell, sway, attract, draw, entice, interest, chew over, converse, debate, discuss, dispute, hash (over), moot, reason (with)
    opposite: deter, discourage, dissuade, unsell

  2. as in bamboozle

    similar: bamboozle, betray, bitch, double-cross, rope (in), deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick, exploit, milk, clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak, extort, wrench, wrest, wring, beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, gaff, hose (slang), hustle, mulct, nobble (British slang), pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fast

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fast:

Chiefly British: at speed, bent
Chiefly dialect: plumb
apace, briskly, chop-chop, double-quick, fleetly, full tilt, hastily, hell-for-leather, hot, lickety-split, posthaste, presto, pronto, quick, quickly, rapidly, snappily, soon, speedily, swift, swiftly, all, all of, all over, altogether, clean, completely, dead, enough, entire, entirely, even, exactly, flat, full, fully, heartily, out, perfectly, quite

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Fast

Words with the opposite meaning of Fast:

slow, slowly, half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly, disloyal, faithless, false, fickle, inconstant, perfidious, recreant, traitorous, treacherous, unfaithful, untrue, insecure, loose, aboveboard, honest, straight, rickety, unsound, unstable, unsteady, extended, far

Related Words for Fast

immediately, promptly, readily, impetuously, impulsively, rashly, recklessly, abruptly, suddenly, energetically, vigorously, absolutely, categorically, cold, downright, hands down, plain, stone, stone-cold, unqualifiedly, basically, by and large, chiefly, generally, largely, mainly, more or less, mostly, overall, predominantly

Near Antonyms of Fast

laggardly, lingeringly, ploddingly, sluggishly, deliberately, leisurely, belatedly, delinquently, tardily, barely, hardly, just, kind of, marginally, minimally, scarcely, slightly, superficially, approximately, roughly, somewhat, crawling, dallying, dawdling, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, languid, lingering, plodding

Word Forms of Fast

Inflections: fasted, fasting, fasts

Origin & Etymology of Fast

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

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Fast

Words & Phrases Containing Fast

fast and loose, fast break, fast-casual, fast fashion, fast-food

Frequently Asked Questions about Fast

What does "Fast" mean?

"Fast" means characterized by quick motion, operation, or effect:. As an an adjective, an adverb, a verb and a noun, it is defined as: characterized by quick motion, operation, or effect:. It has 11 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fast"?

Other words for "Fast" include apace, briskly, chop-chop, double-quick, fleetly, full tilt, hastily and hell-for-leather. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fast" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fast"?

There are 379 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fast". Common alternatives include apace, briskly, chop-chop, double-quick, fleetly, full tilt, hastily, hell-for-leather, hot and lickety-split.

What is the opposite of "Fast"?

Antonyms of "Fast" include slow, slowly, half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially and partly. Near antonyms include laggardly, lingeringly, ploddingly and sluggishly.

How do you use "Fast" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fast" in a sentence: "run as fast as you can to get help"; "everyone in camp was fast asleep within minutes of hitting the sack"; "the fast pace of construction resulted in our new house being done ahead of schedule".

Is "Fast" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Fast" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Fast" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Fast" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Fast"?

"Fast" is pronounced /ˈfast/.