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fast

fast

26 1.0
Fixed firmly so it cannot move
  • adjective
  • /fæst/
: 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

fixed
vsfast
97 1.0

Attached firmly to something so it cannot move

focuses on being held securely, not only on being attached
firm
vsfast
43 1.0

Secure and unlikely to move, change, or weaken

stresses being held securely in one place more than general stability
glued
vsfast
  • Informal
29 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
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
handfast
vsfast
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Very loyal and not likely to change

is about physical holding or tight joining rather than loyalty
nonmobile
vsfast
1 6.5

Unable to move or be moved easily

emphasizes being held tightly rather than just hard to move

Antonyms

302 1.0

Not tight so it can move or fall off

6 5.3

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

Idioms

not so fast
  • Informal
82 5.8

Tell someone to slow down when they act too quickly

20 2.5

Resting very deeply and not easy to wake

in the fast lane
  • Informal
15 6.4

Living a life full of excitement and danger

12 8.3

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

9 8.0

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

8 5.2

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

Compounds

154 1.0

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

75 3.5

Something that gets much bigger or more common very quickly

61 3.9

A quick route to success or promotion

34 2.5

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

26 3.9

Happening very quickly with a lot of action

fast lane
  • Informal
17 5.8

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

fast one
  • Informal
17 8.2

A clever trick used to cheat someone

11 5.7

Very clear rules or limits that do not allow change

fast break
  • Jargon
10 3.5

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

A fixed instruction you cannot change or adapt

lightning fast
  • Informal
6 3.6

Happening or moving very quickly

5 2.8

A road lane for vehicles that move faster than other lanes

4 1.9

A quick help that has very little waiting time

A place where things change and happen very quickly

fast buck
  • Slang
3 7.9

Money earned quickly, often by dishonest or easy ways

fast reactor
  • Specialized
3 8.4

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

1 5.9

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

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

fast time scale
  • Specialized
1 7.7

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

1 7.4

A person who becomes successful or well known very quickly

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

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

1 9.9

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

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

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

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

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
10 4.4
fast
26 1.0
steady
171 1.3
loose
302 1.0
wobbly
33 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.