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fast

fast

3 4.1
Showing a time later than the correct time
  • adjective
  • /fæst/
: adelantado
  • I think these clocks may be a little bit fast, but we'll get started anyway.

Examples

  • The clock on the wall is fast, making me late for my appointments.

  • I mean, it doesn't set too fast, but it does set.

  • He's a good four minutes fast.

  • I noticed that my watch is running a bit fast, so I need to adjust it.

  • He realized that the time displayed on his phone was fast compared to the wall clock.

Antonyms

2 3.9

Showing a time earlier than the correct time

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 Ahead

fast
3 4.1
on time
426 1.0
behind
1 1.1

Surface Forms

fast positive
faster comparative
fastest superlative

Etymology

Fast for a clock comes from the 'quick' sense of the word: a clock that runs 'fast' moves ahead of the correct time. That is why a watch that is fast shows a later time than it should.