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fast

fast

392 1.0
Fixed firmly so it cannot move
  • adjective
  • /fæst/
translation icon : fijo
  • The door is securely fast and won't budge even in strong winds.
  • hold fast

You want to make sure it's fast and nice and tight.

Examples

  • The state successfully reinvigorated agriculture, which sustained a fast-recovering population and fostered commercialized agriculture and trade in foodstuffs.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Make sure the screws are fast so that the table remains steady.

  • You want to make sure it's fast and nice and tight.

  • Have you a fast horse?

  • His childhood dream of being an artist was fast becoming a reality.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Cold-blooded animals do not absorb medicine very fast at all.

  • The Thames policeman in the bow held fast to one of the bridge pilings.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I spent almost every day outdoors, biking beside fast rivers and green fields spotted with black-and-white cows.

    Academic text (2008)
  • She tied the rope fast to the post to ensure it wouldn't come loose.

Synonyms

firm
vsfast
28 1.0

Secure and unlikely to move, change, or weaken

stresses being held securely in one place more than general stability
immobile
vsfast
14 4.4

Not able to move or be moved, like a statue

is about being held securely rather than only being still
glued
vsfast
  • Informal
1 3.0

Stuck firmly in one place or unable to stop paying attention

means being held securely but can be used figuratively for intense focus
nonmobile
vsfast
6.5

Unable to move or be moved easily

emphasizes being held tightly rather than just hard to move
fixed
vsfast
1.0

Attached firmly to something so it cannot move

focuses on being held securely, not only on being attached
handfast
vsfast
  • Archaic
9.9

Very loyal and not likely to change

is about physical holding or tight joining rather than loyalty

Antonyms

155 1.0

Not tight so it can move or fall off

4 5.3

Not made safe, for example items not fastened or a computer without a password

Idioms

not so fast
  • Informal
42 5.8

Tell someone to slow down when they act too quickly

19 2.5

Resting very deeply and not easy to wake

12 8.3

To trick someone in a clever way so they do not notice

in the fast lane
  • Informal
6 6.4

Living a life full of excitement and danger

6 8.0

Act in a careless way by ignoring rules and other people's feelings

5 5.2

A way of spending time that is exciting, fast, and often risky

Compounds

111 1.0

Cheap food that is already cooked and sold to eat quickly, like hamburgers or fried chicken

67 3.5

Something that gets much bigger or more common very quickly

24 3.9

Happening very quickly with a lot of action

19 3.9

A quick route to success or promotion

fast one
  • Informal
12 8.2

A clever trick used to cheat someone

12 5.7

Very clear rules or limits that do not allow change

10 2.5

A speed that is quicker than usual for a task or activity

fast break
  • Jargon
9 3.5

A quick attack where a team moves fast down the court to score before the defense sets up

fast lane
  • Informal
7 5.8

A very busy, exciting life that often brings risk and pressure

A fixed instruction you cannot change or adapt

lightning fast
  • Informal
6 3.6

Happening or moving very quickly

fast buck
  • Slang
3 7.9

Money earned quickly, often by dishonest or easy ways

A place where things change and happen very quickly

2 2.8

A road lane for vehicles that move faster than other lanes

1 5.9

A day when people do not eat for religious or spiritual reasons

fast reactor
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A nuclear reactor that uses fast neutrons without a moderator to make energy

1 1.9

A quick help that has very little waiting time

1 3.7

Moving quickly through the air like a bird or a jet

A way of living with constant activity and little time to rest

A person who becomes successful or well known very quickly

A set of computer rules that lets local devices send secure messages and manage a network

fast mate
  • Informal
6.6

A close friend who spends a lot of time with you

A major Jewish day when people do not eat to remember when the temples were destroyed in Jerusalem

A major Jewish fast on the ninth day of Av that remembers the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem

A one-day event when many Jews do not eat or drink before Purim to remember Esther

A day in the Jewish calendar when Jews do not eat or drink to remember Gedaliah's killing

A Jewish day when people do not eat or drink from dawn to dusk to remember Jerusalem's walls being broken

A minor Jewish fast on the tenth of Tevet to remember the siege of Jerusalem and Holocaust victims

A Jewish fast kept by firstborn sons the day before Passover to remember how they were saved in Egypt

fast time scale
  • Specialized
7.7

A way of running a simulation where time moves faster than real life

A very important Jewish day when people fast, like Yom Kippur or Tisha B'Av

A day in Judaism when adults fast from dawn to nightfall but can do normal work

How Secure

immovable
11 4.4
fast
392 1.0
steady
186 1.3
loose
155 1.0
wobbly
36 3.6

Surface Forms

fast positive
faster comparative
fastest superlative

Etymology

Fast comes from an old idea of being 'firm' or 'fixed', and it is the same root as fasten. So if something is fast it is held 'firmly' in place.