fast

Meaning

Adj

1. (dated) Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable.
2. Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.
3. Steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now mostly in set phrases like fast friend(s).)
4. Moving with great speed, or capable of doing so; swift, rapid.
5. Moving with great speed, or capable of doing so; swift, rapid.
6. Of a place, characterised by business, hustle and bustle, etc.
7. Causing unusual rapidity of play or action.
8. Able to transfer data in a short period of time.
9. Deep or sound (of sleep); fast asleep (of people).
10. Not running or fading when subjected to detrimental conditions such as wetness or intense light; permanent.
11. (obsolete) Tenacious; retentive.
12. (dated) Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits.
13. (dated, offensive, vernacular) Uncharacteristically mature or promiscuous for one's age.
14. Ahead of the correct time or schedule.
15. More sensitive to light than average.

Noun

A train that calls at only some stations it passes between its origin and destination, typically just the principal stations.

Intj

Ellipsis of stand fast, a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target.

Adv

1. In a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved; safe, sound .
2. Deeply or soundly .
3. Immediately following in place or time; close, very near .
4. Quickly, with great speed; within a short time .
5. Ahead of the correct time or schedule.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To practice religious abstinence, especially from food.
2. (intransitive) To reduce or limit one's nutrition intake for medical or health reasons, to diet.
3. (transitive) To cause (a person or animal) to abstain, especially from eating.

Noun

1. The act or practice of fasting, religious abstinence from food.
2. Any of the fasting periods in the liturgical year.

Opposite of

loose, penetrable, weak, light, behind, slow, local, slow train, stopper, loosely, lightly, slowly

Synonyms

quick

quickly

rapid

swift

rapidly

speedy

swiftly

speedily

fasting

prompt

firm

firmly

promptly

hastily

early

strong

expeditious

hard

strongly

abstain

apace

flying

hurriedly

fleet

tight

tightly

starve

agile

nimble

securely

solid

solidly

in haste

soon

🔜

immediately

hurry

hurried

speed

very fast

steadfast

diet

high-speed

express

hot

🥵

presto

libertine

in a hurry

sharp

immobile

close

Translations

rapide

schnell

rápido

jeûner

vite

rapidement

rapido

snel

veloce

rápido

ayunar

vlug

rasch

geschwind

fasten

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɑːst/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: fast

Inherited from Old English: fæst

Inherited from Middle English: fasten

Inherited from Old English: fæstan

Inherited from Old English: fæsten

Cognate with Gothic: 𐍆𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽

Cognate with Old High German: fasta

Cognate with Old High German: fasten

Cognate with German: Fasten

In summary

From Middle English fast, fest, from Old English fæst (“firm, secure”), from Proto-West Germanic *fast, from Proto-Germanic *fastuz; see it for cognates and further etymology.
The development of “rapid” from an original sense of “secure” apparently happened first in the adverb and then transferred to the adjective; compare hard in expressions like “to run hard”. The original sense of “secure, firm” is now slightly archaic, but retained in the related fasten (“make secure”). Also compare close meaning change from Latin rapiō (“to snatch”) to Latin rapidus (“rapid, quick”), from Irish sciob (“to snatch”) to Irish sciobtha (“quick”).

Sentences

He was going too fast by a long shot .

Write fast if you want to finish early .

How fast is your motorbike ?