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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Fast Meaning: Swift, Tight, and Abstain from Food Explained (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：swift (fast)

fast 🔊

/fæst/

adj.

moving or able to move at high speed.

swift 🔊

➕

/swɪft/

adj.

Moving or able to move at high speed; done in a short time.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English fæst ('firm, fixed, swift'). Verb sense from Old Norse fasta.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a 'fast' car that is 'firmly' on the road, and 'fasting' as being 'fixed' on not eating.

📖 Example

The new train is fast; it can take you to the next city in just 20 minutes. 🔊 The new train is swift; it can take you to the next city in just 20 minutes.

🔗 Collocations

fast car – A car capable of high speed

fast food – Food prepared and served quickly

fast track – A route or process that achieves results quickly

🔄 Synonyms

quick (adj.) – Done or occurring in a short time

rapid (adj.) – Happening in a short time or at a great rate

speedy (adj.) – Moving or able to move quickly

🚫 Antonyms

slow (adj.) – Not moving or able to move at a high speed

sluggish (adj.) – Moving slowly or with little energy

leisurely (adj.) – Acting or done without haste

🌱 Derivatives

fast-paced (adj.) – Moving or changing rapidly

fast-track (v./n.) – To accelerate the progress of something or the path to success

fastness (n.) – The quality of being fast in speed (rare, often poetic)

📖 Cultural Story

The adjective 'fast' meaning 'swift' evolved from the idea of being 'firm' in speed. The verb 'to fast' derives from Old Norse 'fasta', related to religious observance of fixed rules.

Meaning 2：tight (fast)

fast 🔊

/fæst/

adj.

firmly fixed or attached; not easily moved or loosened.

tight 🔊

➕

/taɪt/

adj.

Firmly attached or positioned so that it does not move easily; secure.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Make sure the lid is fast; we don't want the soup to spill in your bag. 🔊 Make sure the lid is tight; we don't want the soup to spill in your bag.

🔗 Collocations

hold fast – To grip firmly and not let go

stand fast – To remain firmly in position or opinion

fasten securely – To attach something firmly so it stays in place

🔄 Synonyms

secure (adj.) – Fixed or fastened so as not to give way

firm (adj.) – Not yielding easily to pressure or force

tight (adj.) – Fixed, closed, or fastened so as to be hard to move or open

🚫 Antonyms

loose (adj.) – Not firmly or tightly fixed in place

unstable (adj.) – Likely to move or change position

wobbly (adj.) – Tending to move unsteadily from side to side

🌱 Derivatives

fasten (v.) – To attach or close something firmly

fastener (n.) – A device that securely joins two things

fastness (n.) – A secure, fortified place (e.g., a stronghold)

Meaning 3：abstain from food (fast)

fast 🔊

/fæst/

adj.

to eat little or no food for a period of time.

abstain from food 🔊

➕

/əbˈsteɪn frʌm fuːd/

adj.

To voluntarily refrain from eating all or some types of food for a period, often for religious, health, or cultural reasons.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

During the health challenge, she decided to fast for 16 hours each day. 🔊 During the health challenge, she decided to abstain from food for 16 hours each day.

🔗 Collocations

break a fast – To end a period of fasting by eating food

intermittent fast – A pattern of eating that cycles between periods of fasting and eating

fasting period – The time during which one abstains from food

🔄 Synonyms

abstain (v.) – To restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something, especially eating

refrain from eating (v. phrase) – To avoid consuming food deliberately

starve (v.) – To suffer or die from lack of food (used metaphorically for voluntary fasting, but usually negative)

🚫 Antonyms

eat (v.) – To consume food

feast (v./n.) – To eat and drink sumptuously, a large meal

indulge (v.) – To allow oneself to enjoy something, often food in excess

🌱 Derivatives

fasting (n.) – The practice of abstaining from food

breakfast (n.) – The first meal of the day, literally 'breaking the fast'

fast (n.) (n.) – A period of abstaining from food