1
2
: firmly loyal
became fast friends
3
a
: characterized by quick motion, operation, or effect:
(1)
: moving or able to move rapidly : swift
a fast horse
(2)
: taking a comparatively short time
a fast race
(3)
: imparting quickness of motion
a fast bowler
(4)
: accomplished quickly
fast work
(5)
: agile of mind
especially
: quick to learn
a class for fast students
b
: conducive to rapidity of play or action
a fast track
c(1)
of a timepiece or weighing device
: indicating in advance of what is correct
Your clock is two minutes fast.
(2)
: according to or being daylight saving time
d
: contributing to a shortening of exposure time
fast film
e
: acquired with unusually little effort and often by shady or dishonest methods
had a keen eye for a fast buck—
R. A. Keith
R. A. Keith4
a
: securely attached
a rope fast to the wharf
b
: tenacious
a fast hold on her purse
5
a
archaic
: sound asleep
b
of sleep
: not easily disturbed
fell into a fast sleep
6
: not fading or changing color readily
fast colors
7
a
: actively seeking excitement and pleasure : wild
a pretty fast crowd
b
: sexually promiscuous
8
: resistant to change (as from destructive action or fading)
fast dyes
—often used in combinationsunfast
acid-fast bacteria
fasted; fasting; fasts
Synonyms
Examples of fast in a Sentence
Adjective
She's a very fast runner.
We're off to a fast start.
We're now experiencing a faster rate of inflation.
We took the faster route.
Adverb
The boss expects this to be done this afternoon, so you'd better work fast.
He ran as fast as he could.
This is fast becoming a national problem.
You need to act fast to take advantage of this offer.
I don't know what caused the accident. It all happened so fast.
She's a woman who can think fast in a crisis.
He's going to have to talk fast to get himself out of this mess.
The window was stuck fast.
She held fast to her belief in justice.
We must stand fast and not surrender!
Verb
She always fasts on Yom Kippur.
Patients must fast for six hours before having the procedure.
Recent Examples on the WebAngel Saunders, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Black and Latino Americans are more likely to live in lower-income neighborhoods, where fast food is usually cheaper and more convenient than grocery stores.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
But while their desire for an alternative is understandable, once the country was reunified under communism, retribution against the South was fast and harsh.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
These along with the side zipper make getting in and out of the overalls super easy and fast.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024
Rounds 4-5 BONUS: Nehemiah Pritchett (Sr., Auburn, 6-0, 190)
Pritchett is long, lean, and extremely fast.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
California raised its minimum wage for fast food workers to how much?
4.
—CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The minimum wage law that took effect Monday guarantees at least $20-per-hour for workers at fast food restaurant chains with at least 60 locations nationwide.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s no fast and hard rule about when to replace a kitchen trash can.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2024
Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
That means the population and the labor force have grown faster than statistical agencies and economists like us believed.
—Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S., for instance, grew five times faster in February than sales of pure EVs, according to Morgan Stanley.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Explore more Subscriber Exclusive content One of Mulla’s biggest challenges was that the west San Fernando Valley’s Muslim community was growing so fast that his congregants could no longer squeeze into his small mosque for Ramadan.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
As ever, act fast because award seats disappear in a snap.
—Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024
The 10-minute bike ride back home couldn’t end fast enough.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024
But some people will age faster and die younger from toxic stressors than others.
—Lawson R. Wulsin, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
That shift is happening much faster in former French colonies than in former British ones, according to Boniface Dulani, the director of surveys for Afrobarometer, a nonpartisan research organization.
—Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Good Friday is a day of fasting within the Catholic church.
—Jason Rossi, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2024
Saint Catherine, who fasted almost unto death, was said to be revived after drinking blood from the side wound of Jesus.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
In particular, fasting diets like ProLon trigger autophagy.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 24 Mar. 2024
The meeting coincided with the second night of the holy month of Ramadan, during which many Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The fact that pythons can fast for long periods without any apparent consequences could help farmers hedge against future supply chain disruptions, which are becoming increasingly common amid climate change.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
With eating out becoming more of a luxury, restaurants use such deals to help draw customers to fast casual and fast food chains.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Observers will begin fasting for the next month from sunrise to sunset and engaging in activities that challenge their self-restraint and bring them closer to God.
—USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
When sunset arrived and the Maghrib prayer time sounded, signaling the time to break their fast, the family gathered around.
—Marwa Mouaki, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
In the north, people are forced to forage for wild plants during the day to break their fast at night.
—NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Muslims will break their fast, traditionally with dates, followed by a fulfilling meal called iftar.
—The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
Some doses and regimens for drugs taken regularly, like those for certain cardiological conditions, can be easily adjusted to align to your fast (but, again, don’t make this call on your own without the advice of a health care provider).
—Azmia Ricchuito, SELF, 7 Mar. 2024
That means setting up a dozen medical tents on the plaza and organizing iftar dinners after sunset to celebrate the end of the daily fast for tens of thousands of worshipers.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The fast is believed to help participants focus on what’s most important in one’s life, as well as increase self-discipline, renew one’s faith and seek out forgiveness.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2024
Special beer would be brewed by the monks for that purpose — stronger, richer and darker to sustain the monks during their fast.
—Don Tse, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The young athlete is fast on her way to achieving her goals.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Black and Latino Americans are more likely to live in lower-income neighborhoods, where fast food is usually cheaper and more convenient than grocery stores.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
But while their desire for an alternative is understandable, once the country was reunified under communism, retribution against the South was fast and harsh.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
These along with the side zipper make getting in and out of the overalls super easy and fast.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024
Rounds 4-5 BONUS: Nehemiah Pritchett (Sr., Auburn, 6-0, 190)
Pritchett is long, lean, and extremely fast.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
California raised its minimum wage for fast food workers to how much?
4.
—CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The minimum wage law that took effect Monday guarantees at least $20-per-hour for workers at fast food restaurant chains with at least 60 locations nationwide.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s no fast and hard rule about when to replace a kitchen trash can.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2024
Adverb
So the ice was broken pretty fast with Miss Mckenna.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
That means the population and the labor force have grown faster than statistical agencies and economists like us believed.
—Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S., for instance, grew five times faster in February than sales of pure EVs, according to Morgan Stanley.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Explore more Subscriber Exclusive content One of Mulla’s biggest challenges was that the west San Fernando Valley’s Muslim community was growing so fast that his congregants could no longer squeeze into his small mosque for Ramadan.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
As ever, act fast because award seats disappear in a snap.
—Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024
The 10-minute bike ride back home couldn’t end fast enough.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024
But some people will age faster and die younger from toxic stressors than others.
—Lawson R. Wulsin, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
That shift is happening much faster in former French colonies than in former British ones, according to Boniface Dulani, the director of surveys for Afrobarometer, a nonpartisan research organization.
—Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
This medication has shown promise in managing markers of fasting blood sugar levels, and hemoglobin A1c with people who have Type 2 diabetes.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Good Friday is a day of fasting within the Catholic church.
—Jason Rossi, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2024
Saint Catherine, who fasted almost unto death, was said to be revived after drinking blood from the side wound of Jesus.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
In particular, fasting diets like ProLon trigger autophagy.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 24 Mar. 2024
The meeting coincided with the second night of the holy month of Ramadan, during which many Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The fact that pythons can fast for long periods without any apparent consequences could help farmers hedge against future supply chain disruptions, which are becoming increasingly common amid climate change.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
With eating out becoming more of a luxury, restaurants use such deals to help draw customers to fast casual and fast food chains.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Observers will begin fasting for the next month from sunrise to sunset and engaging in activities that challenge their self-restraint and bring them closer to God.
—USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
Across the Gaza Strip, families like hers are breaking their daylong fasts with dates, cans of fava beans, or soup handed out as aid.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
When sunset arrived and the Maghrib prayer time sounded, signaling the time to break their fast, the family gathered around.
—Marwa Mouaki, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
In the north, people are forced to forage for wild plants during the day to break their fast at night.
—NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Muslims will break their fast, traditionally with dates, followed by a fulfilling meal called iftar.
—The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
Some doses and regimens for drugs taken regularly, like those for certain cardiological conditions, can be easily adjusted to align to your fast (but, again, don’t make this call on your own without the advice of a health care provider).
—Azmia Ricchuito, SELF, 7 Mar. 2024
That means setting up a dozen medical tents on the plaza and organizing iftar dinners after sunset to celebrate the end of the daily fast for tens of thousands of worshipers.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The fast is believed to help participants focus on what’s most important in one’s life, as well as increase self-discipline, renew one’s faith and seek out forgiveness.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2024
Special beer would be brewed by the monks for that purpose — stronger, richer and darker to sustain the monks during their fast.
—Don Tse, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fast
1 of 4 adjective1
a
: firmly fixed or bound
b
: tightly shut
c
: sticking firmly
2
: firmly loyal
became fast friends
3
a
: moving or able to move rapidly
b
: taking a short time
c
: giving quickness of motion (as to a thrown ball)
d
: favorable to speed
the faster route
4
: indicating ahead of the correct time
my clock is fast
5
: tricky and unfair
pulled a fast one
6
: not likely to fade
fast colors
fast
3 of 4 verb1
: to go without eating
2
: to eat in small amounts or only certain foods
fast
4 of 4 noun1
: the act of fasting
2
: a time of fasting
Etymology
Adjective
Old English fæst "firmly fixed"
Verb
Old English fæstan "to go without eating"
Medical Definition
fast
1 of 3 adjective1
: firmly fixed
2
a
: having a rapid effect
a fast medicine
b
: allowing for the rapid passage of a gas or liquid
3
: resistant to change (as from destructive action)
—used chiefly of organisms and in combination with the agent resisted
acid-fast bacteria
fast
2 of 3 intransitive verb1
: to abstain from food
2
: to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods
: to deny food to
the patient is fasted and given a mild hypnotic—Lancet
Lancetfast
3 of 3 noun1
: the practice of fasting
2
: a time of fasting
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