fast forward
1 Americannoun
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a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.
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the button or other control that activates this function.
verb (used with or without object)
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to advance an audio or video recording rapidly.
I always fast-forward through the TV ads that get recorded on my DVR.
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to skip over a period of time and arrive at a future point in the timeline, especially in narration.
Fast-forward six months, she’s gotten engaged and is moving to Europe!
noun
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(sometimes not hyphenated) the control on a tape deck or video recorder used to wind the tape or video forward at speed
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informal a state of urgency or rapid progress
my mind went into fast forward
verb
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(tr) to wind (a video or tape) forward using the fast-forward control
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to deal with speedily
fast-forward the trials of the new drug
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(intr) to move forward through a tape or video using the fast-forward control
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(usually foll by to) to direct one's attention towards a particular time or event, ignoring intervening material
fast-forward to the summer of 2008
Etymology
Origin of fast-forward
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fast forward decades, and Dr. Seuss would go on to become one of the world's favourite authors - with irreverent hits such as Horton Hears a Who! and How the Grinch Stole Christmas taking pride of place on children's bookshelves across the globe.
From BBC
Fast forward to the 99th minute and with Burnley now trailing 4-3, Turf Moor was sent into raptures as Barnes thought he had equalised with the final kick of the game.
From BBC
Fast forward to the aftermath of their first outing at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and after five wins out of six under interim boss Michael Carrick, it now stands at 44.2% and 72.0%.
From BBC
"Fast forward two and a half years and we've shown that exactly what we had speculated is feasible in mice."
From Science Daily
Fast forward to the mid-2010s and he was working at the now-defunct Touch Vinyl in West L.A.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
