fast, Fast, FAST

Are repetitions of fast quickly overpowering your work in progress? Ah — quickly — an adverb that can sometimes replace fast.

Let’s explore more words related to fast when it involves speed.

Show the Speed

These sentences demonstrate increased speed without including fast. Some examples rely on words from the lists in this post.

• He [broke, exceeded, shattered] the speed limit.
• The job was completed well in advance of the deadline.
• In less than five minutes, the firefighters cleared the entire building.
• Before the boss had time to protest, I shoved the paperwork into his face.
• Whenever she looked in his direction, his eyes jerked back to his phone.
• He broke three swimming records in the last Summer Olympics.
• Her Ducati beat my Harley. Every. Darn. Time.
• I can read more than 1000 words per minute.

Have You Chosen the Appropriate Connotation?

• A fast car might be better identified by its name or engine size.
• Is an action fast, or is it impetuous?
• Is the progression of a relationship fast, or is it overwhelming?
• Is someone a fast runner or an Olympic level runner?
• Does a student absorb lessons fast or without difficulty?
• Does someone have fast internet or 5G internet?
• Does a tap flow fast, or does it spurt?
• Is a game fast, or is it intense?

Animals That Are Fast

Leverage phrasing that includes the following animals. However, ensure that the animals are familiar to your prospective reading audience.

Land Animals

• African wild dog
• blackbuck
• cheetah
• greyhound
• hare
• hummingbird
• kangaroo
• lion
• ostrich
• peregrine falcon
• pronghorn
• quarter horse
• springbok
• wildebeest

Sea Animals

• barracuda
• black marlin
• bluefin tuna
• flying fish
• killer whale (orca)
• pilot whale
• sailfish
• shortfin mako shark
• swordfish
• yellowfin tuna

Fast Things, People, and Processes

Consider including one or more of the following in comparisons.

• Category 5 hurricane
• cosmic rays
• cruise missile
• Elaine Thompson-Herah (or another fast runner)
• electronic flashgun
• explosion
• flashover
• hypersonic missile
• hypervelocity launcher
• jet
• jet stream
• laser pulse
• light
• maglev train
• military jet
• photon rays
• quantum entanglement
• race car
• rocket
• roller coaster
• sound
• speedboat
• supercomputer
• tachyon
• Usain Bolt (or another fast runner)

Adjectives

Adjectives are often an effective fallback if you avoid stacked modifiers, which could slow the reading process. Many of these adjectives can also double as adverbs.

A to Z
abrupt, accelerated, breakneck, brisk, expedited, expeditious, express, flat-out, fleet, fleet-footed, full-tilt, hasty, high-speed, hurried, hypersonic, immediate, instant, instantaneous, lickety-split, lightning, nimble, overhasty, precipitate, prompt, quick, racing, rapid, screaming, snappy, speeding, speedy, split-second, sudden, supersonic, swift, top-speed, unslow, velocious, winged, zippy

Invent New Adjectives

Add -able, -al, -est, -free, -ful, -ible, -ic, -ing, -ish, -ive, -less, -like, -oid, -ous, and other suffixes to nouns and verbs to create new adjectives.

Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases

Adverbs — a much maligned group of words — sometimes provide the punch you need. But don’t overdo. Adverbs are like salt. A few add flavor, but too many spoil the experience.

Many of the following are informal or idiomatic, and some may double as adjectives.

• ASAP
• abruptly
• against the clock
• against time
• a mile a minute
• apace
• at full throttle
• at full tilt
• at once
• briskly
• chop-chop
• directly
• double-quick
• double-time
• forthwith
• hastily
• here and now
• hurriedly
• immediately
• in a flash
• in a jiffy
• in a trice
• in haste
• in no time
• in nothing flat
• in short order
• instantaneously
• instantly
• momentarily
• on the double
• PDQ
• posthaste
• presto
• promptly
• pronto
• quickly
• right away
• right now
• shortly
• soon
• speedily
• stat
• straight off
• straightaway
• then and there
• this instant
• tout de suite
• without ado
• without delay
• without hesitation
• without further ado
• with alacrity

Many of the descriptors in the Adjectives section can be converted to adverbs by adding –ly.

Verbs and Phrasal Verbs

Strong verbs provide excellent opportunities to show action, with a minimum of words.

A to E
accelerate, barrel (into, through), bolt, bomb, bullet (away from, into, through), burn (out of, through), burst (out of, through), bustle, cannon, career, cascade, catapult, charge, crash, dart, dash, dive, eject, explode out of

F to R
flash, flit, fly, free-fall, gallop, gush, hare, hasten, hie [archaic], hurl, hurry, hurtle, hustle, jerk, jet, jog, launch, lunge, nose-dive, peel out, pelt, plummet, pounce, quicken, race, rocket, run, rush

S to Z
scamper, scoot, scram, scramble, scurry, scuttle, shoot (out, over, through, under, up), skedaddle, skyrocket, speed, spew (from, out of), spout, sprint, spurt, stampede, storm, streak, swoop, tailspin, tear, trot, whiz, zip, zoom

Similes, Metaphors, Idioms, and Overstatements

Demonstrate quickness with phrasing like the following. Idioms may suit dialogue, but exercise care. If the writing is supposed to be that of a teenager, like a bat out of hell might suit the narrative; however, an English professor would be more likely to rely on phrasing such as at the speed of a shrew’s tongue.

• at the speed of a shrew’s tongue
• flitting about like a hummingbird
• hell-for-leather
• in the [blink, twinkling] of an eye
• like a bat out of hell
• like a flash
• like a shot
• like a speeding bullet
• like all get out
• like crazy
• like greased lightning
• like lightning
• like mad
• like wildfire
• spinning like a top
• to beat a hasty retreat
• to break the sound barrier
• to burn rubber
• to cut and run
• to do a runner
• to exceed the speed of light
• to get a move on
• to hit the ground running
• to hotfoot it
• to leg it
• to make a run for it
• to move at [light speed, maximum velocity, warp speed, warp 10]
• to skidoo
• to spin out of control
• to take a powder
• to take flight