fast

1. adjective

1 MOVING QUICKLY

a) moving or travelling quickly: Burell is the fastest runner in the world. | The first pitch was fast and hard.

b) able to travel or move very quickly: a fast car. | The horse was fast but not a good jumper.

2 IN A SHORT TIME

a) doing something or happening in a short time: a fast journey | IBM is shedding labour at an alarmingly fast rate.

b) able to do something in a short time: Are you a fast reader?

c) happening without delay: This time the response was much faster.

3 CLOCK (not before noun) a clock that is fast shows a later time than the real time : five minutes/an hour etc fast: That can't be the time - my watch must be fast.

4 pull a fast one informal to deceive someone by using a clever trick: Make sure he doesn't try and pull a fast one.

5 fast road a road on which vehicles can travel very quickly

—see also: fast lane

6 fast film/lens a film or lens (2) that can be used when there is little light, or when photographing something that is moving very quickly

7 COLOUR a colour that is fast will not change when clothes are washed

—see also: colourfast

8 SPORTS a fast surface is one on which a ball moves very quickly

9 make sth fast an expression meaning to tie something firmly, used especially on ships: He made the rope fast to the metal ring.

10 fast and furious done very quickly with a lot of effort and energy, or happening very quickly with a lot of sudden changes: Political developments in South Africa have been fast and furious.

11 He's/she's etc a fast worker informal used to say that someone can get what they want very quickly, especially in starting a sexual relationship with another person

12 fast talker someone who talks quickly and easily but is often not honest or sincere: Nixon quickly gained a reputation as a fast talker.

13 the fast set old-fashioned a group of fashionable young people who spend their time doing exciting things

14 fast friends literary two people who are very friendly for a long time

15 WOMAN old-fashioned becoming involved quickly in sexual relationships with men

—see also: fast food, fast forward, fast lane, make a fast buck buck 1 (1) 2. adverb

1 QUICKLY moving quickly: Slow down - you're going too fast. | We ran back to the house as fast as we could. | as fast as his legs could carry him (=running as quickly as he could)

2 IN A SHORT TIME

a) in a short time: Young kids grow up fast these days. | fast becoming/disappearing/developing etc: Britain is fast becoming a sweat-shop economy based on cheap labour.

b) soon and without delay: The survivors needed help fast. | He wanted to know how fast we could get it done.

3 fast asleep sleeping very deeply: Shh! The baby's fast asleep!

4 hold on fast to hold onto something very tightly: She held on fast as they went round the bend.

5 stick fast/be stuck fast to become or be firmly fixed and unable to move: My leg was stuck fast in the mud.

6 hold fast to to continue to believe in or support an idea, principle etc: Bonhoeffer held fast to his beliefs till the very end.

7 be getting/be going nowhere fast informal to not succeed in making progress or achieving something: I kept asking her the same question, but I was getting nowhere fast.

8 not so fast spoken

a) used to tell someone to do something more slowly or carefully: Not so fast! You don't want to damage the engine.

b) used to say that something has not yet happened or is not yet true: “Henry will be manager soon.” “Not so fast - he's only just been made a team leader.”

9 fast by literary very close to something: fast by the river

10 play fast and loose with old-fashioned to treat a sexual partner in a careless way: He felt that Lyn had played fast and loose with his emotions.

—see also: stand fast stand 1 (17), thick and fast thick 2 (2) 3. verb (I) to eat little or no food for a period of time, especially for religious reasons: Muslims fast during Ramadan. 4. noun (C) a period during which someone does not eat for religious reasons : break a fast (=eat or drink something to end your fast)