27 Idioms for Fast: Expressions of Swiftness

Idioms are like the secret code of language. They give us colorful ways to describe things, and they often don’t mean exactly what the words say.

In this article, we’re diving into idioms for fast—phrases that help us express speed and swiftness in a fun and unique way.

So, let’s get started with these idiomatic expressions that’ll have you zooming along in no time!

What is an idiom for fast?

Idioms are like little puzzles for your brain. They use words in ways that might seem strange at first, but they paint a vivid picture of a situation or action.

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1 / 20

What is a simile?

A) A comparison using "like" or "as".

B) A direct comparison without using "like" or "as".

C) An exaggerated statement.

D) A figure of speech that gives human qualities to non-human things.

2 / 20

Identify the simile in the following sentence: “She swims like a fish.”

A) She swims

B) like a fish

C) swims like

D) a fish

3 / 20

What is a metaphor?

A) A comparison that uses "like" or "as".

B) A direct comparison that does not use "like" or "as".

C) An expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its words.

D) A word that sounds like its meaning.

4 / 20

Which of the following is a metaphor?

A) He is as brave as a lion.

B) Her tears were a river flowing down her cheeks.

C) She runs like the wind.

D) He barked orders at his team.

5 / 20

What is an idiom?

A) A literal expression.

B) A comparison using "like" or "as".

C) A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.

D) A direct comparison without using "like" or "as".

6 / 20

What does the idiom “break the ice” mean?

A) To literally break ice.

B) To start a conversation in a social setting.

C) To cool down a situation.

D) To freeze something quickly.

7 / 20

What is an adjective?

A) A word that describes or modifies a noun.

B) A word that shows action.

C) A word that replaces a noun.

D) A word that connects words together.

8 / 20

Choose the adjective in the following sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

A) quick, brown

B) jumps

C) over

D) dog

9 / 20

What is an abbreviation?

A) A shortened form of a word or phrase.

B) A long form of a word.

C) A word used to describe another word.

D) A word used in place of a noun.

10 / 20

What does the abbreviation “e.g.” stand for?

A) End game

B) Exempli gratia (for example)

C) Ergo (therefore)

Estimated guess

11 / 20

What is a verb?

A) A word that describes a noun.

B) A word that indicates action, occurrence, or existence.

C) A word that connects two parts of a sentence.

D) A word that modifies a verb.

12 / 20

Identify the verb in the following sentence: “The cat sleeps on the sofa.”

A) The

B) cat

C) sleeps

D) sofa

13 / 20

“Out of the frying pan into the fire” is an example of:

A) A simile.

B) A metaphor.

C) An idiom.

D) An adjective.

14 / 20

Which of the following is an adjective?

A) Quickly

B) Beautiful

C) Run

D) Under

15 / 20

The abbreviation “NASA” stands for:

A) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

B) North American Space Agency

C) National Association of Space Astronauts

D) None of the above

16 / 20

Choose the metaphor in the following sentence: “Time is a thief.”

A) Time

B) is

C) a thief

D) None of the above

17 / 20

What does the idiom “hit the books” mean?

A) To physically hit books.

B) To start studying.

C) To write a book.

D) To organize books on a shelf.

18 / 20

Which of the following sentences contains a simile?

A) He is a shining star.

B) She danced like there was no tomorrow.

C) Life is a rollercoaster.

D) They moved mountains to be together.

19 / 20

“LOL” is an abbreviation for:

A) Lots Of Love

B) Little Old Lady

C) Long Overdue Library-book

D) Laugh Out Loud

20 / 20

Identify the verb in this sentence: “They whispered secrets into the night.”

A) They

B) secrets

C) whispered

D) night

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When we say someone is “fast as lightning,” we’re not talking about their ability to generate electricity. We’re saying they’re incredibly quick!

Now, let’s explore some idioms for fast and understand what they mean:

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
In the fast lane	To live a fast-paced, exciting life.	Ever since he moved to the city, he’s been living life in the fast lane, always on the go.
Fast as lightning	Extremely quick or speedy.	Her response to the question was as fast as lightning; she didn’t even need to think.
Quick as a wink	Happening in an instant, without delay.	He finished his homework quick as a wink and then went out to play.
Faster than a speeding bullet	Incredibly fast, like a superhero in a comic book.	The car raced down the highway faster than a speeding bullet.
Speed demon	Someone who loves to drive fast or do things quickly.	Dave’s always been a speed demon on the skateboard, doing tricks that amaze us.
Greased lightning	Extremely fast and smooth.	With the new computer, tasks at the office are completed like greased lightning.
Like a bat out of hell	To move or act with great speed and urgency.	When the fire alarm went off, everyone evacuated the building like a bat out of hell.
On the fast track	In a position or situation that leads to quick success.	After graduating with honors, she’s on the fast track to a successful career.
Like a whirlwind	To do something quickly and energetically, often leaving a trail of chaos.	She cleaned the entire house like a whirlwind before the guests arrived.
Zooming along	Moving rapidly and smoothly.	The bicycle zoomed along the winding path, making it a thrilling ride.
Like a rocket	To move or progress very quickly.	After the team implemented the new software, productivity took off like a rocket.
Like a bullet train	To move at an incredibly high speed.	The new sports car accelerates like a bullet train, leaving others behind.
In the blink of an eye	Happening so quickly that it’s almost imperceptible.	The magician made the rabbit disappear in the blink of an eye.
Swift as a deer	Moving gracefully and quickly.	The athlete ran the marathon, swift as a deer, and finished first.
Speeding like a maniac	Driving recklessly and excessively fast.	The police officer pulled over the driver for speeding like a maniac on the highway.
Rapid as a cheetah	Moving with the incredible speed of a cheetah.	The internet connection in the new office is as rapid as a cheetah, making downloads lightning fast.
Like a tornado	Moving or acting with great speed and causing chaos.	When he enters a room, it’s like a tornado of energy and excitement.
Quick as a hiccup	Happening so quickly that it’s almost unnoticeable.	She solved the math problem, quick as a hiccup, surprising everyone.
Quick as a fox	Very clever and able to think and act quickly.	Jack is quick as a fox when it comes to solving puzzles.
Like a jackrabbit	To move with sudden speed and agility.	When the alarm went off, everyone left the building like a jackrabbit.
Like a runaway train	Out of control and moving at a very high speed.	The project turned into a disaster, running like a runaway train.
Fast and furious	Moving or happening rapidly and with great intensity.	The storm hit the coast fast and furious, causing significant damage.
At the speed of sound	Moving as fast as the sound travels through the air.	The car reached its top speed and was now traveling at the speed of sound.
Like a racehorse	To move or perform with incredible speed and energy.	The athlete sprinted across the finish line like a racehorse.
Running like the wind	Running at a very high speed, often effortlessly.	She’s an excellent sprinter; she was running like the wind during the race.
Like a hot knife through butter	To cut through something easily and swiftly.	With the new chef’s knife, slicing vegetables is like a hot knife through butter.
Like a shot	To move or act very quickly.	As soon as the bell rang, he left the classroom like a shot.

Speeding like a bullet train, he dashed across the finish line. If you’re looking for more comparisons to describe something as fast, you can click on this link: Similes for fast. And for a variety of metaphors depicting speed, you can explore this link: Metaphors for fast.

Idioms for Fast

1. In the fast lane

Meaning: To live a fast-paced, exciting life.
In a Sentence: Ever since he moved to the city, he’s been living life in the fast lane, always on the go.

2. Fast as lightning

Meaning: Extremely quick or speedy.
In a Sentence: Her response to the question was as fast as lightning; she didn’t even need to think.

3. Quick as a wink

Meaning: Happening in an instant, without delay.
In a Sentence: He finished his homework quick as a wink and then went out to play.

4. Faster than a speeding bullet

Meaning: Incredibly fast, like a superhero in a comic book.
In a Sentence: The car raced down the highway faster than a speeding bullet.

5. Speed demon

Meaning: Someone who loves to drive fast or do things quickly.
In a Sentence: Dave’s always been a speed demon on the skateboard, doing tricks that amaze us.

6. Greased lightning

Meaning: Extremely fast and smooth.
In a Sentence: With the new computer, tasks at the office are completed like greased lightning.

7. Like a bat out of hell

Meaning: To move or act with great speed and urgency.
In a Sentence: When the fire alarm went off, everyone evacuated the building like a bat out of hell.

8. On the fast track

Meaning: In a position or situation that leads to quick success.
In a Sentence: After graduating with honors, she’s on the fast track to a successful career.

9. Like a whirlwind

Meaning: To do something quickly and energetically, often leaving a trail of chaos.
In a Sentence: She cleaned the entire house like a whirlwind before the guests arrived.

10. Zooming along

Meaning: Moving rapidly and smoothly.
In a Sentence: The bicycle zoomed along the winding path, making it a thrilling ride.

11. Like a rocket

Meaning: To move or progress very quickly.
In a Sentence: After the team implemented the new software, productivity took off like a rocket.

12. Like a bullet train

Meaning: To move at an incredibly high speed.
In a Sentence: The new sports car accelerates like a bullet train, leaving others behind.

13. In the blink of an eye

Meaning: Happening so quickly that it’s almost imperceptible.
In a Sentence: The magician made the rabbit disappear in the blink of an eye.

14. Swift as a deer

Meaning: Moving gracefully and quickly.
In a Sentence: The athlete ran the marathon, swift as a deer, and finished first.

15. Speeding like a maniac

Meaning: Driving recklessly and excessively fast.
In a Sentence: The police officer pulled over the driver for speeding like a maniac on the highway.

16. Rapid as a cheetah

Meaning: Moving with the incredible speed of a cheetah.
In a Sentence: The internet connection in the new office is as rapid as a cheetah, making downloads lightning fast.

17. Like a tornado

Meaning: Moving or acting with great speed and causing chaos.
In a Sentence: When he enters a room, it’s like a tornado of energy and excitement.

18. Quick as a hiccup

Meaning: Happening so quickly that it’s almost unnoticeable.
In a Sentence: She solved the math problem, quick as a hiccup, surprising everyone.

19. Quick as a fox

Meaning: Very clever and able to think and act quickly.
In a Sentence: Jack is quick as a fox when it comes to solving puzzles.

20. Like a jackrabbit

Meaning: To move with sudden speed and agility.
In a Sentence: When the alarm went off, everyone left the building like a jackrabbit.

21. Like a runaway train

Meaning: Out of control and moving at a very high speed.
In a Sentence: The project turned into a disaster, running like a runaway train.

22. Fast and furious

Meaning: Moving or happening rapidly and with great intensity.
In a Sentence: The storm hit the coast fast and furious, causing significant damage.

23. At the speed of sound

Meaning: Moving as fast as the sound travels through the air.
In a Sentence: The car reached its top speed and was now traveling at the speed of sound.

24. Like a racehorse

Meaning: To move or perform with incredible speed and energy.
In a Sentence: The athlete sprinted across the finish line like a racehorse.

25. Running like the wind

Meaning: Running at a very high speed, often effortlessly.
In a Sentence: She’s an excellent sprinter; she was running like the wind during the race.

26. Like a hot knife through butter

Meaning: To cut through something easily and swiftly.
In a Sentence: With the new chef’s knife, slicing vegetables is like a hot knife through butter.

27. Like a shot

Meaning: To move or act very quickly.
In a Sentence: As soon as the bell rang, he left the classroom like a shot.

Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article

Quiz 1:

Question: What does the idiom “In the fast lane” mean?

To drive in the left lane on a highway.
To live a slow-paced life.
To live a fast-paced, exciting life.

Answer: 3. To live a fast-paced, exciting life.

Quiz 2:

Question: What is the meaning of the idiom “Quick as a wink”?

To blink your eyes quickly.
To happen instantly, without delay.
To slowly close your eyes before sleeping.

Answer: 2. To happen instantly, without delay.

Quiz 3:

Question: What does “Greased lightning” imply in the context of the idiom?

Extremely fast and smooth.
A source of energy.
Something slippery.

Answer: 1. Extremely fast and smooth.

Quiz 4:

Question: When someone is described as “Like a bat out of hell,” what does it mean?

They are as fast as a bat.
They move or act with great speed and urgency.
They are afraid of bats.

Answer: 2. They move or act with great speed and urgency.

Quiz 5:

Question: What does the idiom “On the fast track” suggest?

Being on a train that moves quickly.
Being in a position that leads to quick success.
Being stuck in traffic.

Answer: 2. Being in a position that leads to quick success.

Quiz 6:

Question: How is the idiom “Like a whirlwind” typically used?

To describe a type of weather phenomenon.
To do something quickly and energetically, often leaving a trail of chaos.
To describe a peaceful and calm environment.

Answer: 2. To do something quickly and energetically, often leaving a trail of chaos.

Quiz 7:

Question: What does “In the blink of an eye” mean in the context of the idiom?

In the time it takes to blink your eyes.
Happening so quickly that it’s almost imperceptible.
In a slow and gradual manner.

Answer: 2. Happening so quickly that it’s almost imperceptible.

Quiz 8:

Question: How is the idiom “Like a jackrabbit” typically used?

To describe someone who is jumpy.
To move with sudden speed and agility.
To describe someone who is slow and clumsy.

Answer: 2. To move with sudden speed and agility.

Quiz 9:

Question: What does “Fast and furious” imply in the context of the idiom?

To be in a hurry.
Moving or happening rapidly and with great intensity.
To be angry and impatient.

Answer: 2. Moving or happening rapidly and with great intensity.

Quiz 10:

Question: What is the meaning of “Like a shot” in the idiom?

To move quickly like a gunshot.
To take a shot of alcohol.
To move or act very quickly.

Answer: 3. To move or act very quickly.

Conclusion

Idioms for fast add zest to our language by describing speed and swiftness in unique and creative ways. These expressions are like shortcuts to understanding, helping us paint vivid mental pictures of events and actions happening quickly.