fast1

adjective

• 1moving or capable of moving at high speed:a fast and powerful car
• taking place at high speed; taking a short time:the journey was fast and enjoyable
• performing or able to perform a particular action quickly:a fast reader
• (of a surface) allowing or producing high-speed movement:a wide, fast road
• Sport (of a playing field) likely to make the ball bounce or run quickly or to allow competitors to reach a high speed.

• 2 [predic. or as complement] (of a clock or watch) showing a time ahead of the correct time:I keep my watch fifteen minutes fast

• 3firmly fixed or attached:he made a rope fast to each corner
• (of friends) close and loyal: they remained fast friends

• 4 Photography (of a film) needing only a short exposure: a 35-mm colour film which is ten times faster than Kodacolor II
• (of a lens) having a large aperture and therefore suitable for use with short exposure times.

• 5(of a dye) not fading in light or when washed: the dyes are boiled with the yarn to produce a fast colour

• 6(of a person or their lifestyle) engaging in or involving exciting or shocking activities:the fast life she led in London

• 7 (also farse) West Indian (of a person) prone to act in an unacceptably familiar way:Mammy said, ‘Stop asking questions, you too damn farse.’

adverb

• 1at high speed:he was driving too fast
• within a short time:we’re going to have to get to the bottom of this fast

• 2so as to be hard to move; securely:the ship was held fast by the anchor chain

• 3so as to be hard to wake:they were too fast asleep to reply