fast forward

See also: fast-forward

English

Alternative forms

• fast-forward

Verb

fast forward (third-person singular simple present fast forwards, present participle fast forwarding, simple past and past participle fast forwarded)

1. (transitive) To cause an audio or video tape, digital media stream, etc. to move forward very fast, so that when the device is played, it will start at a later point.
2. (intransitive) To be fast-forwarded; to move ahead in this fashion.
3. (intransitive, figuratively) To shift one's attention or focus toward a later point in time.

   Synonym: jump-cut

   • 2012, Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, Karen N. Scott, Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century, page 77:

     Antarctica was remote, little of value […] was at stake, and few states had the capacity to get to Antarctica or otherwise challenge the claimants. […] Fast-forward to the present, and the picture looks somewhat different.

4. (intransitive, figuratively) To advance rapidly in time.
   • 2017 February 15, Andrew Trndell, “Metallica to ‘fast-forward to next chapter’ of working with Lady Gaga”, in NME‎^[1]:

     Metallica have revealed that they plan to ‘fast-forward to the next chapter’ of working with Lady Gaga – sparking rumours of a collaborative album.

5. (transitive, figuratively) To accelerate.
   • 2019 May 30, Karen Weintraub, “Crispr gene-editing will change the way Americans eat – here's what's coming”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Lippman said Crispr is an incredibly useful tool in research, allowing him to ask new questions of the tomato plants he breeds, by fast-forwarding the research process. “The amount of genetics that we’re currently able to do has at least quintupled in the last three years,” he said.

Antonyms

• slow motion
• rewind

Translations

to cause media to roll fast

• Armenian: առաջ տալ (aṙaǰ tal)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 快轉 / 快转 (zh) (kuàizhuǎn), 快進 / 快进 (zh) (kuàijìn)

• Danish: spole frem
• Dutch: vooruitspoelen (nl), doorspoelen (nl)
• Finnish: pikakelata, kelata eteenpäin
• Georgian: წინ ახვევს (c̣in axvevs)
• German: vorspulen (de)
• Icelandic: spóla áfram, spóla
• Japanese: 早送りする (ja) (はやおくり, hayaokuri suru)
• Korean: 빨리감다 (ppalligamda)
• Malay: memundar laju
• Russian: перема́тывать вперёд impf (peremátyvatʹ vperjód), перемота́ть вперёд pf (peremotátʹ vperjód)
• Swedish: snabbspola (sv)

Noun

fast forward (countable and uncountable, plural fast forwards)

1. The feature that allows media to be fast-forwarded.
2. A button that causes media to be fast forwarded.
3. (figuratively) A state of rapid advancement.
   • 2019 January 22, Lauren Holmes, “If You Thought ‘Cat Person’ Was Dark, Wait Until You Read the Rest of the Book”, in The New York Times‎^[3]:

     In addition to her simple, punchy opening lines, Roupenian likes to begin stories at true beginnings, like childhood or a brand-new relationship, her tales often ones of maturation in fast-forward.

Antonyms

• rewind

See also

• »
• «
• fast backward
• rewind

References

• “fast forward”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.