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faster

 - 5 dictionary results

fast

1  [fast, fahst] adjective, -er, -est, adverb, -er, -est, noun
Use faster 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To faster
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.
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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

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 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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