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Glite Dictionary
to fast forward

to fast forward

56 3.3
Skip quickly to a later part of a recording or presentation
  • phrasal verb
  • /fæst ˈfɔrwərd/
translation icon : adelantar
  • I want to fast-forward through the boring scenes in this video.
  • fast forward ten years

I want to now Fast forward to my growth fund.

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Examples

  • Let's fast-forward to the present.

    Rampart (2011)

  • Fast-forward to a briefing of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on February 8, 2008.

    Academic text (2008)

  • So now it's time to Fast forward and see how right they were.

    Johnny Harris

  • I want to now Fast forward to my growth fund.

    Vusi Thembekwayo

  • And let me Fast forward to the main function.

  • - Fast forward to the present day.

    Boss Level (2021)

  • The beginning of the story played itself out before my eyes like a video on fast forward.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Now, let's Fast forward seven years to where we are today.

  • So with the magic of video editing, let's Fast forward a couple hours.

    Marques Brownlee

  • Time to fast-forward to the present.

    Death of a Nation (2018)

Antonyms

to rewind
50 3.3

To move a watch, tape, or film back to its start

How Fast

to fast forward
56 3.3
to scan
127 2.7

Surface Forms

fast forward infinitive
fast forwarded past
fast forwarded past participle
fast forwarding present participle
fast forwards third person singular

Morphology

fast + forward

The meaning 'to advance quickly through recorded video or audio / skip ahead' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'fast' (quickly) with 'forward' (ahead in time), yielding a clear 'move ahead quickly' sense. This compositional pattern is common in English and other languages (e.g., equivalents in media controls), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb fast forward comes from old tape and video players. When you pressed a forward button the tape moved fast to a later part, so the phrase now means 'to skip ahead' or 'move quickly to a later part'.