fast S2 W3 / fɑst $ fæst / 副词 #
1 moving quickly moving quickly :
Slow down – you’re driving too fast.
a fast-moving river
Johnny ran off as fast as his legs could carry him (= running as quickly as he could ) .
2 in a short time happening in a short time :
Kids grow up fast these days.
The survivors needed help fast.
How fast can you get the job done?
fast becoming/disappearing/approaching etc
Access to the Internet is fast becoming a necessity.
It all happened so fast I didn’t even notice I was bleeding.
3 fast asleep sleeping very deeply :
Nick was lying on the sofa, fast asleep.
4 be stuck/held fast to become or be firmly fixed and unable to move :
The boat was stuck fast in the mud.
She tried to pull her hand free, but it was held fast.
5 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.
6 not so fast spoken used to tell someone not to be too eager to do or believe something :
Not so fast. We’ve got to prove it first, haven’t we?
7 make something fast to tie something such as a boat or tent firmly to something else
8 fast by something literary very close to something :
fast by the river
→ play fast and loose with somebody at play 1 ( 30 ) , → stand fast at stand 1 ( 25 ) , → thick and fast at thick 2 ( 2 )
THESAURUS
quickly at a high speed or without taking much time : The stream was flowing quite quickly. | They quickly became friends.
fast at a high speed – used especially when talking about how something moves : You’re driving too fast! | He ran home as fast as he could.
quick spoken quickly – used in exclamations or in comparatives : Quick! There’s a mouse!
swiftly written quickly : The government acted swiftly. | She was surprised that he agreed so swiftly.
rapidly quickly – used especially about changes, increases, improvements etc : The population is growing rapidly. | a rapidly changing world
speedily quickly and therefore efficiently : All problems were speedily dealt with.
briskly quickly and energetically : He walked briskly back along the path.
at high/great speed at a very fast speed – used especially in technical descriptions : The molecules are travelling at great speed.
at a rapid rate especially written quickly – used about changes, increases, improvements etc : Internet shopping is growing at a rapid rate.
as quick as a flash/in a flash extremely quickly : As quick as a flash, I was back in my bed and under the covers.
like lightning moving extremely quickly : Like lightning, the cat darted under the bushes.
flat out especially British English at the fastest speed possible : The car was going flat out. | He was running flat out.
fast S2 W2 adjective #
1 moving quickly moving or able to move quickly :
a fast car
He’s one of the fastest runners in the world.
2 in a short time doing something or happening in a short time :
The subway is the fastest way to get downtown.
The company must give a faster response to clients’ requests.
The rain forests are being chopped down at an alarmingly fast rate.
I’m a fast learner.
3 clock [名词前不用] a clock that is fast shows a later time than the real time :
That can’t be the time – my watch must be fast.
five minutes/an hour etc fast
I always keep my watch 15 minutes fast.
4 fast track a way of achieving something more quickly than is normally done
on the fast track
a young actress on the fast track to fame and success
5 fast road a road on which vehicles can travel very quickly
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 → colourfast
8 sports a fast surface is one on which a ball moves very quickly
9 fast and furious done very quickly with a lot of effort and energy, or happening very quickly with a lot of sudden changes :
Arsenal’s opening attack was fast and furious.
10 somebody is 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
11 fast talker someone who talks quickly and easily but is often not honest or sincere
12 woman old-fashioned becoming involved quickly in sexual relationships with men :
fast cars and fast women
13 fast friends literary two people who are very friendly for a long time
→ fast food , fast-forward , fast lane , → make a fast buck at buck 1 ( 1 ) , → pull a fast one at pull 1 ( 10 )
THESAURUS
fast moving or able to move quickly : The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world. | a fast car quick moving fast or doing something in a short time : He was much quicker than I was over the first 100 metres. | Do I have time for a quick shower? high-speed [仅用于名词前] designed to travel or operate very quickly : a high-speed train | high-speed Internet access rapid especially written happening in a short period of time – used about changes, increases, improvements etc : a rapid increase in the population | the rapid expansion of the firm’s business in the Middle East | a rapid decline in profits swift written moving quickly or happening after only a short time : The horses ran along the track at a swift trot. | He received a swift response to his letter. brisk quick and energetic : a brisk walk in the countryside | His manner was very brisk. speedy [仅用于名词前] happening after only a short time : Everyone wishes you a speedy recovery. | a speedy resolution to the problem hurried done more quickly that usual, because you do not have much time : She ate a hurried breakfast in the cafe before catching her train. | We made a hurried departure. hasty deciding or doing something very quickly, especially when this has bad results : It was a hasty decision, which he later regretted. | Let’s not be too hasty.
fast verb [不及物动词] #
to eat little or no food for a period of time, especially for religious reasons :
Muslims fast during Ramadan.
THESAURUS
to eat less food or stop eating be on a diet to be eating less or different food than normal in order to become thinner : No cake thanks – I’m on a diet. fast to not eat for a period of time, often for religious reasons : Muslim people fast during the month of Ramadan.
fast noun [可数名词] #
a period during which someone does not eat, especially for religious reasons :
Gandhi drank some orange juice to break (= end ) his three-week fast .