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Fast

 - 16 dictionary results
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fast

1  [fast, fahst] adjective, -er, -est, adverb, -er, -est, noun
Use Fast in a Sentence
–adjective
1. moving or able to move, operate, function, or take effect quickly; quick; swift; rapid: a fast horse; a fast pain reliever; a fast thinker.
2. done in comparatively little time; taking a comparatively short time: a fast race; fast work.
3. (of time)
a. indicating a time in advance of the correct time, as of a clock.
b. noting or according to daylight-saving time.
4. adapted to, allowing, productive of, or imparting rapid movement: a hull with fast lines; one of the fastest pitchers in baseball.
5. characterized by unrestrained conduct or lack of moral conventions, esp. in sexual relations; wanton; loose: Some young people in that era were considered fast, if not downright promiscuous.
6. characterized by hectic activity: leading a fast life.
7. resistant: acid-fast.
8. firmly fixed in place; not easily moved; securely attached.
9. held or caught firmly, so as to be unable to escape or be extricated: an animal fast in a trap.
10. firmly tied, as a knot.
11. closed and made secure, as a door, gate, or shutter.
12. such as to hold securely: to lay fast hold on a thing.
13. firm in adherence; loyal; devoted: fast friends.
14. permanent, lasting, or unchangeable: a fast color; a hard and fast rule.
15. Informal.
a. (of money, profits, etc.) made quickly or easily and sometimes deviously: He earned some fast change helping the woman with her luggage.
b. cleverly quick and manipulative in making money: a fast operator when it comes to closing a business deal.
16. Photography.
a. (of a lens) able to transmit a relatively large amount of light in a relatively short time.
b. (of a film) requiring a relatively short exposure time to attain a given density.
17. Horse Racing.
a. (of a track condition) completely dry.
b. (of a track surface) very hard.
–adverb
18. quickly, swiftly, or rapidly.
19. in quick succession: Events followed fast upon one another to the crisis.
20. tightly; firmly: to hold fast.
21. soundly: fast asleep.
22. in a wild or dissipated way.
23. ahead of the correct or announced time.
24. Archaic. close; near: fast by.
–noun
25. a fastening for a door, window, or the like.
—Idioms
26. play fast and loose. play (def. 80).
27. pull a fast one, Informal. to play an unfair trick; practice deceit: He tried to pull a fast one on us by switching the cards.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE fæst firm; c. D vast, ON fastr firm, G fest; akin to fast 2

Synonyms:
1, 2. fleet, speedy. See quick. 5. dissipated, dissolute, profligate, immoral; wild, prodigal. 8. secure, tight, immovable, firm. 9. inextricable. 13. faithful, steadfast. 14. enduring. 20. securely, fixedly, tenaciously. 22. recklessly, wildly, prodigally.

Antonyms:
1, 2. slow. 5, 6. restrained. 8. loose.
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fast

2  [fast, fahst]
–verb (used without object)
1. to abstain from all food.
2. to eat only sparingly or of certain kinds of food, esp. as a religious observance.
–verb (used with object)
3. to cause to abstain entirely from or limit food; put on a fast: to fast a patient for a day before surgery.
–noun
4. an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food, esp. when voluntary and as a religious observance; fasting.
5. a day or period of fasting.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME fasten, OE fæstan; c. G fasten, Goth fastan, ON fasta

fast

3  [fast, fahst]
–noun
a chain or rope for mooring a vessel.
Origin:
1670–80; alter., by assoc. with fast 1 , of late ME fest, perh. n. use of fest, ptp. of festen to fasten, or < ON festr mooring rope
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Fast
fast 1   (fāst)   
adj.   fast·er, fast·est

  1. Acting, moving, or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift.

    1. Accomplished in relatively little time: a fast visit.

    2. Acquired quickly with little effort and sometimes unscrupulously: made a fast buck scalping tickets.

    3. Disposed to dissipation; wild: ran with a fast crowd.

    4. Flouting conventional moral standards; sexually promiscuous.

  3. Quick to understand or learn; mentally agile: a class for the faster students.

  4. Indicating a time somewhat ahead of the actual time: The clock is fast.

  5. Allowing rapid movement or action: a fast running track.

  6. Designed for or compatible with a short exposure time: fast film.

    1. Disposed to dissipation; wild: ran with a fast crowd.

    2. Flouting conventional moral standards; sexually promiscuous.

  8. Resistant, as to destruction or fading: fast colors.

  9. Firmly fixed or fastened: a fast grip.

  10. Fixed firmly in place; secure: shutters that are fast against the rain.

  11. Firm in loyalty: fast friends.

  12. Lasting; permanent: fast rules and regulations.

  13. Deep; sound: in a fast sleep.

adv.   faster, fastest

  1. In a secure manner; tightly: hold fast.

  2. To a sound degree; deeply: fast asleep.

  3. In a rapid manner; quickly.

  4. In quick succession: New ideas followed fast.

  5. Ahead of the correct or expected time: a watch that runs fast.

  6. In a dissipated, immoderate way: living fast.

  7. Archaic Close by; near.


[Middle English, from Old English fæst, firm, fixed; see past- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These adjectives refer to something marked by great speed. Fast and rapid are often used interchangeably, though fast is more often applied to the person or thing in motion, and rapid, to the activity or movement involved: a fast runner; rapid strides.
Swift suggests smoothness and sureness of movement (a swift current), and fleet, lightness of movement (The cheetah is the fleetest of animals). Speedy refers to velocity (a speedy train) or to promptness or hurry (a speedy resolution to the problem). Quick most often applies to what takes little time or to what is prompt: a quick snack; your quick reaction.
Hasty implies hurried action (a hasty visit) and often a lack of care or thought (regretted the hasty decision). Expeditious suggests rapid efficiency: sent the package by the most expeditious means. See Also Synonyms at faithful.
fast 2   (fāst)   
intr.v.   fast·ed, fast·ing, fasts

  1. To abstain from food.

  2. To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.

n.  

  1. The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food.

  2. A period of such abstention or self-denial.


[Middle English fasten, from Old English fæstan; see past- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fast  (adj.)
O.E. fæst "firmly fixed, steadfast," probably from P.Gmc. *fastuz (cf. O.N. fastr, Du. vast, Ger. fest), from PIE base *past- "firm" (cf. Skt. pastyam "dwelling place"). The adv. meaning "quickly, swiftly" was perhaps in O.E., or from O.N. fast, either way developing from the sense of "firmly, strongly, vigorously" (cf. to run hard means to run fast; also compare fast asleep), or perhaps from the notion of a runner who "sticks" close to whatever he is chasing. The sense of "living an unrestrained life" (usually of women) is from 1746; fast food is first attested 1951. Fast-forward first recorded 1948. Fast and loose is described as "a cheating game played with a stick and a belt or string, so arranged that a spectator would think he could make the latter fast by placing a stick through its intricate folds, whereas the operator could detach it at once." [James O. Halliwell, "Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words," 1847]. The fig. sense (1557) is recorded earlier than the literal (1578).

fast  (v.)
O.E. fæstan "to fast" (as a religious duty), from P.Gmc. *fastejan (cf. O.Fris. festia, O.H.G. fasten, O.N. fasta), from the same root as fast (adj.). The original meaning was "hold firmly," and the sense evolution is via "firm control of oneself," to "holding to observance" (cf. Goth. fastan "to keep, observe," also "to fast"). Presumably the whole group is a Gmc. translation of M.L. observare "to fast."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1fast
Pronunciation: 'fast
Function: adjective
1 : firmly fixed
2 a : having a rapid effect fast medicine> b : allowing for the rapid passage of a gas or liquid fast nipple on a baby bottle>
3 : resistant to change (as fromdestructive action) —used chiefly of organisms and in combination with the agent resisted fast bacteria>

Main Entry: 2fast
Function: intransitive verb
1 : to abstain from food
2 : to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods fasttransitive senses
: to deny food to fasted and given a mild hypnotic —Lancet>

Main Entry: 3fast
Function: noun
1 : the practice of fasting
2 : a time of fasting
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

fast 1 (fāst)
adj. fast·er, fast·est

  1. Acting, moving, or being capable of acting or moving quickly.

  2. Accomplished in relatively little time.

  3. Exhibiting resistance to change. Used especially of stained microorganisms that cannot be decolorized.

  4. Firmly fixed or fastened.

fast 2
v. fast·ed, fast·ing, fasts

  1. To abstain from food.

  2. To eat little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.

n.

  1. The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food.

  2. A period of such abstention or self-denial.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

FAST
1. Federation Against Software Theft.
2. Fortran Automatic Symbol Translator.
(1996-05-19)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Bible Dictionary

Fast

The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called "the fast" (Acts 27:9). The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old Testament is in Zech. 7:1-7; 8:19, from which it appears that during their captivity the Jews observed four annual fasts. (1.) The fast of the fourth month, kept on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, the anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; to commemorate also the incident recorded Ex. 32:19. (Comp. Jer. 52:6, 7.) (2.) The fast of the fifth month, kept on the ninth of Ab (comp. Num. 14:27), to commemorate the burning of the city and temple (Jer. 52:12, 13). (3.) The fast of the seventh month, kept on the third of Tisri (comp. 2 Kings 25), the anniversary of the murder of Gedaliah (Jer. 41:1, 2). (4.) The fast of the tenth month (comp. Jer. 52:4; Ezek. 33:21; 2 Kings 25:1), to commemorate the beginning of the siege of the holy city by Nebuchadnezzar. There was in addition to these the fast appointed by Esther (4:16). Public national fasts on account of sin or to supplicate divine favour were sometimes held. (1.) 1 Sam. 7:6; (2.) 2 Chr. 20:3; (3.) Jer. 36:6-10; (4.) Neh. 9:1. There were also local fasts. (1.) Judg. 20:26; (2.) 2 Sam. 1:12; (3.) 1 Sam. 31:13; (4.) 1 Kings 21:9-12; (5.) Ezra 8:21-23: (6.) Jonah 3:5-9. There are many instances of private occasional fasting (1 Sam. 1:7: 20:34; 2 Sam. 3:35; 12:16; 1 Kings 21:27; Ezra 10:6; Neh. 1:4; Dan. 10:2,3). Moses fasted forty days (Ex. 24:18; 34:28), and so also did Elijah (1 Kings 19:8). Our Lord fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2). In the lapse of time the practice of fasting was lamentably abused (Isa. 58:4; Jer. 14:12; Zech. 7:5). Our Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocritical pretences in fasting (Matt. 6:16). He himself appointed no fast. The early Christians, however, observed the ordinary fasts according to the law of their fathers (Acts 13:3; 14:23; 2 Cor. 6:5).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

fast

In addition to the idioms beginning with fast, also see get nowhere (fast); hard and fast; pull a fast one; stand one's ground (fast); thick and fast.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
FAST

  1. flow actuated sediment trap

  2. Food Allergy Survivors Together

  3. fore-aft scanning technique

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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