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fast

fast

32 4.1
Showing a time later than the correct time
  • adjective
  • /fæst/
translation icon : 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

61 3.9

Showing a time earlier than the correct time

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 Ahead

fast
32 4.1
on time
321 1.0
behind
4 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.