Skip to main content
to fast

to fast

58 4.6
To not eat or drink for a time
  • verb
  • /fæst/
translation icon : ayunar
  • To prepare for his medical exam, he had to fast for twelve hours beforehand.
  • fasting blood glucose
  • fasting blood test
  • fasting blood glucose level

If it's in your practice to fast fast, that's fine.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But in the old days, one would fast all of Lent.

  • Well, thank you for the thought, Sister, but I am fasting.

  • When did you start fasting and why?

  • I think we all felt guilty, as if we should be fasting to show respect.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • While the rest of us ate, the Cat fasted in preparation for the Hunt.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • So you'll notice I don't fast very often because it's painful.

  • I just don't understand why you insist on fasting.

  • Having started to meditate daily, she then began fasting and refused to bathe or change her clothes.

    Academic text (1997)
  • She decided to fast for three days to cleanse her body and spirit.

  • Many people fast during Ramadan to grow closer to their faith.

Antonyms

68 4.3

To allow yourself to enjoy something pleasant, often more than needed

31 2.3

To eat and drink a lot, usually at a special meal

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

Phrasal Verbs

Skip quickly to a later part of a recording or presentation

11 5.5

To stay firmly attached to something or keep believing strongly in an idea

5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

Refuse to change your mind when others disagree

3 5.5

Fail to make progress even when you try hard

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 Much

to starve
328 1.7
to undereat
1 5.6
to fast
58 4.6

Surface Forms

fast infinitive
fasted past
fasted past participle
fasting present participle
fasts third person singular

Etymology

Fast as a verb comes from an old idea of 'holding back' or keeping firm control, so to fast is to 'hold back' from food for religious or medical reasons. That is why doctors or religions may ask you to fast before a test or a ritual.