fast

Meaning

1. 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. Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits.
13. Ahead of the correct time or schedule.
14. More sensitive to light than average.

quick

quickly

abstain

very fast

in haste

abstinence from food

be fast

do quickly

go without food

with speed

abstain from

be ahead of time

fast-flying

fleet-footed

go without

high-velocity

move fast

rathe

run fast

spend money like water

stick fast

swift-footed

abstain from eating

true to

urge on

walk fast

with haste

long-wearing

be durable

leg band

fast working

lickety-split

be permanent

move quickly

quick-moving

be narrow

as quickly as required

at a fast clip

fast enough

go on a hunger strike

like nobody’s business

with expedition

be abstinent

very speedy

keep fast

fast-speed

quick-walking

at full speed

festive day

nimble-footed

quick of foot

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɑːst/

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”).