- Top Definitions
- Synonyms
- Quiz
- Related Content
- Examples
- British
- Idioms And Phrases
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ fast, fahst ]
/ fæst, fɑst /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
adjective, fast·er, fast·est.
moving or able to move, operate, function, or take effect quickly; quick; swift; rapid: a fast horse;a fast pain reliever;a fast thinker.
done in comparatively little time; taking a comparatively short time: a fast race;fast work.
(of time)
- indicating a time in advance of the correct time, as of a clock.
- noting or according to daylight-saving time.
adapted to, allowing, productive of, or imparting rapid movement: a hull with fast lines;one of the fastest pitchers in baseball.
characterized by unrestrained conduct or lack of moral conventions, especially in sexual relations; wanton; loose: Some young people in that era were considered fast, if not downright promiscuous.
characterized by hectic activity: leading a fast life.
resistant: acid-fast.
firmly fixed in place; not easily moved; securely attached.
held or caught firmly, so as to be unable to escape or be extricated: an animal fast in a trap.
firmly tied, as a knot.
closed and made secure, as a door, gate, or shutter.
such as to hold securely: to lay fast hold on a thing.
permanent, lasting, or unchangeable: a fast color;a hard and fast rule.
Informal.
- (of money, profits, etc.) made quickly or easily and sometimes deviously: He earned some fast change helping the woman with her luggage.
- cleverly quick and manipulative in making money: a fast operator when it comes to closing a business deal.
Photography.
- (of a lens) able to transmit a relatively large amount of light in a relatively short time.
- (of a film) requiring a relatively short exposure time to attain a given density.
Horse Racing.
- (of a track condition) completely dry.
- (of a track surface) very hard.
adverb, fast·er, fast·est.
quickly, swiftly, or rapidly.
in quick succession: Events followed fast upon one another to the crisis.
in a wild or dissipated way.
ahead of the correct or announced time.
Archaic. close; near: fast by.
noun
a fastening for a door, window, or the like.
VIDEO FOR FAST
How Do Certain Words Make Things Seem Less Trustworthy?
There are some words that just make things seem less reliable and trustworthy. So why do we use them?
MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about fast
pull a fast one, Informal. to play an unfair trick; practice deceit: He tried to pull a fast one on us by switching the cards.
Origin of fast
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fæst “firm”; cognate with Dutch vast, Old Norse fastr “firm,” German fest; akin to fast2
synonym study for fast
Words nearby fast
fashiony, Fashoda, fasnacht, FASSA, Fassbinder, fast, fast and furious, fast and loose, fastback, fastball, fast break
Other definitions for fast (2 of 3)
fast2
[ fast, fahst ]
/ fæst, fɑst /
verb (used without object)
to abstain from all food.
to eat only sparingly or of certain kinds of food, especially as a religious observance.
verb (used with object)
to cause to abstain entirely from or limit food; put on a fast: to fast a patient for a day before surgery.
noun
an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one’s food, especially when voluntary and as a religious observance; fasting.
a day or period of fasting.
Origin of fast
2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English fasten, festen, Old English fæstan; cognate with German fasten, Gothic fastan, Old Norse fasta
OTHER WORDS FROM fast
un·fast·ing, adjective
Other definitions for fast (3 of 3)
fast3
[ fast, fahst ]
/ fæst, fɑst /
noun
a chain or rope for mooring a vessel.
Origin of fast
3
First recorded in 1670–80; alteration, by association with fast1 (in the sense “firmly tied”), of late Middle English fest “fastening, mooring rope,” from Old Norse festr “mooring rope, cable,” from Old Norse fastr “fixed, firm”; cf. fasten, fast1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to fast
agile, brisk, hot, nimble, quick, rapid, swift, durable, stable, sure, tight, true, easy, loose, quickly, rapidly, soon, swiftly, hard, abstain
How to use fast in a sentence
-
“It’s a big goal, but I think we could do $75-100 million in sales next year with Fabletics Men, which is our first full year with this line, which would be very, very fast growth,” Goldenberg says.
-
The upshot is a technology that provides a fast and low cost way to reduce emissions, Johnson told TechCrunch.
-
Huoseh would challenge his players to record the fastest times possible in their runs before ending the session with a scrimmage and a visit to a nearby Subway for lunch.
-
Together with astrophysicists Ke Fang of Stanford University and Ben Margalit of the University of California, Berkeley, Metzger calculated the energies of any neutrinos that would have been produced by the fast radio burst seen in April.
-
The tablet comes with a so-called A12 Bionic chip, designed by Apple, that gives it a 40% CPU speed boost and graphics that are twice as fast as last year’s model.
-
The focus here was on how fast oil would come out of the Canadian fields.
-
Both high fashion and the fast, commercial fashion of Target are supposed to be about aspiration.
-
And if people find themselves dissatisfied with how often they turn to fast food, Bacon says to try things like batch cooking.
-
While grocery shopping a guy I had noticed following me earlier, walked by me really fast and said, ‘You look shorter in person.’
-
Incidentally, Rousteing has no qualms with fast-fashion brands appropriating his designs either.
-
The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier’s eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them.
-
There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
-
You see, they always butter their chairs so that they won’t stick fast when they sit down.
-
You see, I am the city undertaker, and the people are dying here so fast, that I can hardly supply the demand for coffins.
-
And since he was a very fast runner—for short distances—he met Grandfather Mole just as the old chap was crawling up the bank.
British Dictionary definitions for fast (1 of 2)
adjective
acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift
accomplished in or lasting a short timefast work; a fast visit
(prenominal) adapted to or facilitating rapid movementthe fast lane of a motorway
requiring rapidity of action or movementa fast sport
(of a clock, etc) indicating a time in advance of the correct time
given to an active dissipated life
of or characteristic of such activitya fast life
not easily moved; firmly fixed; secure
firmly fastened, secured, or shut
steadfast; constant (esp in the phrase fast friends)
sport (of a playing surface, running track, etc) conducive to rapid speed, as of a ball used on it or of competitors playing or racing on it
that will not fade or change colour readilya fast dye
- proof against fadingthe colour is fast to sunlight
- (in combination)washfast
photog
- requiring a relatively short time of exposure to produce a given densitya fast film
- permitting a short exposure timea fast shutter
cricket (of a bowler) characteristically delivering the ball rapidly
informal glib or unreliable; deceptivea fast talker
archaic sound; deepa fast sleep
informal a deceptive or unscrupulous trick (esp in the phrase pull a fast one)
fast worker a person who achieves results quickly, esp in seductions
adverb
quickly; rapidly
soundly; deeplyfast asleep
firmly; tightly
in quick succession
in advance of the correct timemy watch is running fast
in a reckless or dissipated way
fast by or fast beside archaic close or hard by; very near
play fast and loose informal to behave in an insincere or unreliable manner
interjection
archery (said by the field captain to archers) stop shooting!
Word Origin for fast
Old English fæst strong, tight; related to Old High German festi firm, Old Norse fastr
British Dictionary definitions for fast (2 of 2)
verb
(intr) to abstain from eating all or certain foods or meals, esp as a religious observance
noun
- an act or period of fasting
- (as modifier)a fast day
Derived forms of fast
faster, noun
Word Origin for fast
Old English fæstan; related to Old High German fastēn to fast, Gothic fastan
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with fast
In addition to the idioms beginning with fast
- fast and furious
- fast and loose
- fast buck
- fast lane
- fast track
also see:
- get nowhere (fast)
- hard and fast
- pull a fast one
- stand one’s ground (fast)
- thick and fast
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
adj
ru
(of people) Steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now mostly in set phrases like fast friend(s).)
adj
ru
Moving with great speed, or capable of doing so; swift, rapid.
I am going to buy a fast car.
adj
ru
Causing unusual rapidity of play or action.
a fast billiard table
a fast dance floor
a fast racket, or tennis court
a fast track
adj
ru
(of a piece of hardware) Able to transfer data in a short period of time.
adj
ru
Deep or sound (of sleep); fast asleep (of people).
adj
ru
(of dyes or colours) Not running or fading when subjected to detrimental conditions such as wetness or intense light; permanent.
All the washing has come out pink. That red tee-shirt was not fast.
adj
ru
Tenacious; retentive.
adj
ru
Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits.
adj
ru
Ahead of the correct time or schedule.
There must be something wrong with the hall clock. It is always fast.
adj
ru
(of photographic film) More sensitive to light than average.
adv
ru
In a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved; safe, sound .
Hold this rope as fast as you can.
adv
ru
(of sleeping) Deeply or soundly .
adv
ru
Immediately following in place or time; close, very near .
Fast by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped. / That ain’t my style, said Casey. Strike one, the umpire said.
The horsemen came fast on our heels.
adv
ru
Quickly, with great speed; within a short time .
Do it as fast as you can.
adv
ru
Ahead of the correct time or schedule.
I think my watch is running fast.
inter
ru
Short for «stand fast», a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target
n
ru
The act or practice of abstaining from food or of eating very little food.
n
ru
The period of time during which one abstains from or eats very little food.
Lent and Ramadan are fasts of two religions.
v
ru
To restrict one’s personal consumption, generally of food, but sometimes other things, in various manners (totally, temporally, by avoiding particular items), often for religious or medical reasons.
Muslims fast during Ramadan and Catholics during Lent.
Whooosh! Zooom! Wheee! Today, we have a need for speed, so we’re looking at the words “quick” and “fast.” Both terms are related to rapidity, but there is a subtle difference between them that many people overlook. So, join us for a speedy look at how to use these words correctly!
Quick (Speedily or in a Short Time)
One use of the adjective “quick” is to refer to something that happens at speed:
John was always quick to respond.
The emphasis here is brevity of action. We also see this in another use of this term, which is to show that something happens in a short amount of time:
I’ll give your essay a quick look before you hand it in.
These uses are similar, but the second doesn’t necessarily require speed. You could have a “quick nap,” for example, which would be short but static (unless you fall asleep on a skateboard at the top of a hill).
(Photo: John Chapman/Pyrope)
The adverbial form of this word is “quickly.” “Quick” and “quickly” are sometimes used interchangeably, but you should always use “quick” for nouns and “quickly” for verbs in formal writing.
Fast (At High Speed)
“Fast” is another adjective that refers to something happening at speed:
John was always fast to respond.
However, it can also be used to describe something that is capable of moving quickly. Or it can indicate that something happens at a high pace:
I’ve always loved fast cars.
Find this useful?
Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.
The fast pace of change took some by surprise.
In these cases, it is the sustained speed/rate of something that matters, not the time it takes to occur. We say that a car is “fast,” for example, because this reflects its potential for sustained speed, whereas “quick” would imply a brief action.
An important exception to this is “fast food,” which is so called because it is made quickly. It does not usually move fast unless you throw it across the room, which is widely considered impolite.
In addition, we can use “fast” as an adverb when describing an action:
You always drive too fast.
“Fast” has some other meanings, too, such as “hard to move” or to abstain from food for a period of time. However, these are much harder to confuse with the word “quick”!
Quick or Fast?
These words are often interchangeable when referring to something that happens at speed. But this is not always the case. The key to avoiding errors is therefore considering whether time is relevant.
If you’re describing something that happens in a short time, it will typically be “quick.” But if it is something that is capable of moving fast or that occurs at a high rate, the correct word will be “fast.”
Quick = Happening at speed or in a short time
Fast = Happening at a high speed or rate, or capable of moving at speed
Fast and quick are two adjectives that describe things that move with great speeds. Although these two adjectives can be used interchangeably in some instances, they do not always act as synonyms. Fast describes things that happen or go at high speed. While quick can also be also used describes the speed, it is more appropriate to use quick to things that happen in a short time. This is the main difference between fast and quick.
This article covers,
1. What Does Fast Mean – Grammar, Meaning and Usage of the word Fast
2. What Does QUick Mean – Grammar, Meaning and Usage of the word Quick
3. What is the Difference Between Fast and Quick 
What Does Fast Mean
Fast describes the speed. It can be used as an adjective and an adverb. Fast refers to things that happen or go at high speed. For example, a person running, vehicle, etc.
Example of Fast as an Adjective:
He likes to drive fast cars.
The express train is very fast.
The bus is not as fast as the train.
Example of Fast as an Adverb:
He ran very fast.
Don’t drive too fast.
The price of shares has been declining fast.
They’ve bought a fast car.
What Does Quick Mean
Quick is an adjective. The adverb of quick is quickly. Quick is mainly used to describe something that happens in a short time period or shorter than expected. For example,
They stopped for a quick snack.
These questions require quick thinking.
He needs a quick answer.
I gave her a quick look.
They met for a quick drink after work.
Quick doesn’t refer to the speed in any of the above examples. All these examples refer to something that happens during a short time period. Thus, it should be clear to you that fast and quick have some clear cut differences.
He is a quick learner.
Examples – Fast vs Quick
Let’s look at some more examples to understand this difference between fast and quick better.
He is quick. – Quick here refers to the time taken to do something. This cannot be replaced by fast.
Ex: He is quick to forgive.
Not He is fast to forgive.
He is fast. – Fast here refers to the speed. This cannot be replaced by quick.
Ex: This car is fast.
Not This car is quick.
Difference Between Fast and Quick
Meaning
Fast refers to things that happen or go at high speed.
Quick describes something that happens in a short time period or shorter than expected.
Grammatical Category
Fast is an adjective and an adverb.
Quick is an adjective.
Image Courtesy:
“Quick learner” by Brandon.n (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
“You’ve Got a Fast Car” by Margaret Goodson (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
About the Author: Hasa
Hasa has a BA degree in English, French and Translation studies. She is currently reading for a Masters degree in English. Her areas of interests include literature, language, linguistics and also food.
You May Also Like These
|
fast | faster | As adjectives the difference between fast and fasteris that fast is firmly or securely fixed in place; stable while faster is comparative of fast. As adverbs the difference between fast and fasteris that fast is in a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved while faster is comparative of fast POS=adverb. As nouns the difference between fast and fasteris that fast is a train that calls at only some stations it passes between its origin and destination, typically just the principal stations while faster is agent noun of fast (voluntarily refrain from eating); one who fasts. As an interjection fastis short for «stand fast», a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target. As a verb fastis to abstain from food, or eat very little, especially for religious or medical reasons. Other Comparisons: What’s the difference?
|
Is «fast» interchangeable with «quick» when it comes to eating?
I love this question.
The short answer is, yes, I think the two are interchangeable in that particular context. I would interpret both:
I am a fast eater
and:
I am a quick eater
to mean that a person scarfs down their food: they generally wolf down their breakfast, gobble up their lunch, and devour their evening comestibles with haste.
However, if we move outside the realm of eating, this interchangeability wouldn’t necessarily hold. For example, I don’t think:
I am a fast athlete
and:
I am a quick athlete
would necessarily mean the same thing. Athletes who are quick have fast reflexes, or have «quick hands,» whereas athletes who are fast would win footraces. An athlete who is fast isn’t necessarily quick, and vice-versa. Similarly:
Paul is a fast driver
means that Paul drives at high speeds, probably breaking speed limits. However, I wouldn’t use
Paul is a quick driver
to describe his driving habits.
NOAD says:
quick (adj.) moving fast or doing something in a short time
fast (adj.) performing or able to perform a particular type of action quickly
As one could expect from those two definitions, there is much overlap in how and where these two words can be applied. In the case of eating, «consuming a meal in a short time» and «consuming a meal quickly» are generally one in the same. However, going back to one of my previous examples, the main reason I wouldn’t describe Paul as a «quick» driver is because fast also has this definition:
fast (adj.) moving or capable of moving at a high speed
When describing things that are moving at high speeds (like Paul’s car), it’s best to use fast rather than quick.
Therefore, the two words are not 100% interchangeable in all contexts.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Best Answer
Copy
The A has a short A sound as in fan and last.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
This answer is:
Study guides
Add your answer:
Earn +
20
pts
Q: Does fast have a long a or short a?
Write your answer…
Submit
Still have questions?
Related questions
People also asked
Fast
Fast adjective — Not lasting for a considerable time.
Usage example: after a fast explanation of the procedure, we were turned loose to do the work
Short is a synonym for fast. In some cases you can use «Short» instead the word «Fast» as an adjective or an adverb or a noun.
Short
Short adjective — Not lasting for a considerable time.
Usage example: fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point
Fast is a synonym for short. Sometimes you can use «Fast» instead the word «Short» as an adjective or an adverb or a noun.
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- APA
- MLA
- CMS
Google Ngram Viewer shows how «fast» and «short» have occurred on timeline