fast forward

¹

[ fast fawr-werd, fahst- ]

noun

1. a function of an audio or video recorder or player, as a cassette deck or DVR, that allows the content to be advanced rapidly.
2. the button or other control that activates this function.

fast-forward

²

[ fast-fawr-werd, fahst- ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to advance an audio or video recording rapidly:

   I always fast-forward through the TV ads that get recorded on my DVR.

2. 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!

fast-forward

noun

1. sometimes not hyphenated the control on a tape deck or video recorder used to wind the tape or video forward at speed
2. informal.
   a state of urgency or rapid progress

   my mind went into fast forward

verb

1. tr to wind (a video or tape) forward using the fast-forward control
2. to deal with speedily

   fast-forward the trials of the new drug

3. intr to move forward through a tape or video using the fast-forward control
4. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fast forward¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Word History and Origins

Origin of fast forward¹

C20: from the fast-forward wind control in a tape deck

Example Sentences

Fast forward three years and that price has slumped to just under $5 - and the company is worth 2% of what it once was.

From BBC

Fast forward 24 months and the transformation is remarkable.

From BBC

Fast forward to 2024-25 season and the same scenario appears to be unfolding.

From Los Angeles Times

Fast forward to the 2024 sequel, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," and we find a similar dynamic, but with a twist.

From Salon

Fast forward to 2013, and three and a half thousand miles away, another port city that had faced similar issues of urban decay decided to try something similar – Liverpool.

From BBC