Sometimes, people say things in a fun or clever way to show how fast something happens. Instead of just saying “very fast,” they might use special phrases called idioms. These idioms help make talking or writing more interesting. For example, someone might say, “He ran like the wind,” instead of “He ran fast.” Even though the words don’t mean exactly what they say, the listener usually understands the meaning.
In this article, you’ll learn some common idioms that describe speed. Each one will include a short meaning and a sentence to help you understand how it’s used. These idioms can be helpful in stories, conversations, and even schoolwork. Once you learn them, you’ll start to notice them in books or movies. Let’s take a look at how people use idioms to talk about things that happen quickly.
Idioms for Fast
1. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Very quickly or suddenly.
Sample Sentences: The car disappeared in the blink of an eye. / She finished her homework in the blink of an eye.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / In no time
2. Like lightning
Meaning: Extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: He ran like lightning to catch the bus. / The news spread like lightning across the school.
Other Way to Say: Very quick / Super fast
3. In a flash
Meaning: Happening very quickly.
Sample Sentences: The magician disappeared in a flash. / The message was sent in a flash.
Other Way to Say: Quickly / In no time
4. Quick as a bunny
Meaning: Very fast and lively.
Sample Sentences: She is quick as a bunny when playing tag. / The rabbit hopped quick as a bunny across the field.
Other Way to Say: Fast / Swift
5. Fast as a cheetah
Meaning: Extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: The athlete ran fast as a cheetah in the race. / He grabbed the ball fast as a cheetah.
Other Way to Say: Very speedy / Lightning fast
6. On the double
Meaning: Do something immediately or very quickly.
Sample Sentences: The coach told the team to get ready on the double. / Please clean your room on the double.
Other Way to Say: Right away / Immediately
7. At full speed
Meaning: Moving as fast as possible.
Sample Sentences: The cyclist raced down the hill at full speed. / The car zoomed past at full speed.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / At top speed
8. In no time
Meaning: Very quickly.
Sample Sentences: She solved the puzzle in no time. / We will be home in no time.
Other Way to Say: Quickly / Fast
9. As quick as a flash
Meaning: Very fast.
Sample Sentences: The cat was as quick as a flash to catch the mouse. / He answered the question as quick as a flash.
Other Way to Say: Fast / Immediately
10. In the fast lane
Meaning: Moving very fast or living a busy, exciting life.
Sample Sentences: He drives in the fast lane on the highway. / She is living in the fast lane with lots of activities.
Other Way to Say: Moving quickly / Busy life
11. Make a quick getaway
Meaning: Leave a place very fast.
Sample Sentences: The kids made a quick getaway after the game. / The thief made a quick getaway from the store.
Other Way to Say: Leave fast / Run away quickly
12. Like a shot
Meaning: Very fast or suddenly.
Sample Sentences: He ran like a shot to the finish line. / She left the room like a shot.
Other Way to Say: Very quickly / Fast as can be
13. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Very quickly or suddenly.
Sample Sentences: The bird flew away in the blink of an eye. / The game ended in the blink of an eye.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Instantly
14. Like a rocket
Meaning: Moving extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: The skateboarder shot down the hill like a rocket. / The plane took off like a rocket.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Quickly
15. Run like the wind
Meaning: Run very fast.
Sample Sentences: She ran like the wind to catch the bus. / The dog ran like the wind in the park.
Other Way to Say: Run quickly / Sprint fast
16. In a heartbeat
Meaning: Very quickly, instantly.
Sample Sentences: I would help you in a heartbeat. / The decision was made in a heartbeat.
Other Way to Say: Immediately / At once
17. At lightning speed
Meaning: Extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: The car passed us at lightning speed. / She finished the test at lightning speed.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Super quick
18. Speed of light
Meaning: Very fast, almost instant.
Sample Sentences: The news spread at the speed of light. / His reaction was at the speed of light.
Other Way to Say: Extremely fast / Instantly
19. Like greased lightning
Meaning: Very fast and smooth.
Sample Sentences: The runner moved like greased lightning. / The delivery was done like greased lightning.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Quickly and easily
20. Quick on the draw
Meaning: Fast to react or respond.
Sample Sentences: She’s quick on the draw during basketball games. / He was quick on the draw with his answers.
Other Way to Say: Fast to act / Quick to respond
21. As fast as you can
Meaning: As quickly as possible.
Sample Sentences: Run as fast as you can to catch the bus. / Finish your homework as fast as you can.
Other Way to Say: Very quickly / Without delay
22. At a breakneck pace
Meaning: Very fast, almost too fast.
Sample Sentences: The cars were moving at a breakneck pace. / She worked at a breakneck pace to finish the project.
Other Way to Say: Extremely fast / Dangerously quick
23. In a hurry
Meaning: Moving quickly because of limited time.
Sample Sentences: He left the house in a hurry. / She was in a hurry to finish her chores.
Other Way to Say: Quickly / Rushing
24. Move like a flash
Meaning: Move very quickly.
Sample Sentences: The cat moved like a flash to catch the toy. / He moved like a flash across the field.
Other Way to Say: Fast / Quickly
25. Faster than a speeding bullet
Meaning: Very fast.
Sample Sentences: The train went faster than a speeding bullet. / He ran faster than a speeding bullet.
Other Way to Say: Extremely fast / Super quick
26. Quick as a wink
Meaning: Very fast.
Sample Sentences: She finished her test quick as a wink. / The magician disappeared quick as a wink.
Other Way to Say: Instantly / Very fast
27. Fast and furious
Meaning: Moving quickly and with strong energy.
Sample Sentences: The race was fast and furious. / They worked fast and furious to clean up.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / With energy
28. Jump the gun
Meaning: Start too soon or act before the right time.
Sample Sentences: He jumped the gun and started the race early. / Don’t jump the gun before the teacher finishes explaining.
Other Way to Say: Act too soon / Start early
29. At full throttle
Meaning: At the highest speed.
Sample Sentences: The boat went at full throttle across the lake. / He worked at full throttle to finish on time.
Other Way to Say: At full speed / Maximum speed
30. Swift as an arrow
Meaning: Very fast and direct.
Sample Sentences: The athlete was swift as an arrow in the sprint. / Her reply was swift as an arrow.
Other Way to Say: Quick and straight / Very fast
31. Hightail it
Meaning: To run away quickly.
Sample Sentences: We had to hightail it when the bell rang. / The dog hightailed it out of the yard.
Other Way to Say: Run fast / Escape quickly
32. Make haste
Meaning: Hurry up.
Sample Sentences: Make haste or we will be late. / She made haste to finish her work.
Other Way to Say: Hurry / Move quickly
33. Fast track
Meaning: A quick way to do something.
Sample Sentences: She is on the fast track to becoming a leader. / The project was put on the fast track.
Other Way to Say: Quick path / Rapid progress
34. On the fly
Meaning: Do something quickly without preparation.
Sample Sentences: He fixed the problem on the fly. / We made changes on the fly during the game.
Other Way to Say: Quickly / Without planning
35. Like a streak
Meaning: Very fast movement.
Sample Sentences: The lightning flashed like a streak across the sky. / She ran like a streak to the finish line.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Swiftly
36. Dash off
Meaning: To leave or do something quickly.
Sample Sentences: He dashed off to catch the bus. / She dashed off a quick note before leaving.
Other Way to Say: Run quickly / Leave fast
37. Race against time
Meaning: Trying to do something very fast before time runs out.
Sample Sentences: We raced against time to finish the project. / The team raced against time to win the game.
Other Way to Say: Hurry / Beat the clock
38. Speed up
Meaning: To go faster.
Sample Sentences: The car sped up on the highway. / We need to speed up our work.
Other Way to Say: Go faster / Increase speed
39. Pick up speed
Meaning: To start moving faster.
Sample Sentences: The runner picked up speed near the finish line. / The car picked up speed quickly.
Other Way to Say: Go faster / Accelerate
40. Put the pedal to the metal
Meaning: To go as fast as possible.
Sample Sentences: He put the pedal to the metal and sped away. / The driver put the pedal to the metal on the highway.
Other Way to Say: Go full speed / Speed up
41. Lightning fast
Meaning: Extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: Her reflexes are lightning fast. / The internet connection was lightning fast.
Other Way to Say: Super fast / Very quick
42. Move at breakneck speed
Meaning: Move very fast, often dangerously.
Sample Sentences: The bike moved at breakneck speed down the hill. / The runners moved at breakneck speed.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Dangerously quick
43. Run like mad
Meaning: Run very fast.
Sample Sentences: The dog ran like mad chasing the ball. / He ran like mad to catch the train.
Other Way to Say: Run very fast / Sprint
44. In quick time
Meaning: Very fast.
Sample Sentences: The work was done in quick time. / She completed the test in quick time.
Other Way to Say: Fast / Quickly
45. Hurry up
Meaning: Move faster.
Sample Sentences: Hurry up or we will miss the bus. / She told him to hurry up with his chores.
Other Way to Say: Move quickly / Rush
46. Zip along
Meaning: Move very fast.
Sample Sentences: The bike zipped along the path. / The car zipped along the highway.
Other Way to Say: Move fast / Speed along
47. Speed like the wind
Meaning: Move very fast.
Sample Sentences: The horse sped like the wind across the field. / She ran speed like the wind.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Swiftly
48. Quick as a cat
Meaning: Very fast and agile.
Sample Sentences: He is quick as a cat when playing basketball. / The cat moved quick as a cat chasing the mouse.
Other Way to Say: Agile / Fast
49. Run circles around
Meaning: To be much faster than someone else.
Sample Sentences: She can run circles around her friends. / He ran circles around the other players.
Other Way to Say: Much faster / Better and quicker
50. Lightning speed
Meaning: Extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: The internet worked at lightning speed. / The athlete moved at lightning speed.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Super quick
51. Beat the clock
Meaning: Finish something before time runs out.
Sample Sentences: We beat the clock and finished early. / She beat the clock on her homework.
Other Way to Say: Finish early / On time
52. Faster than you can say Jack Robinson
Meaning: Very quickly.
Sample Sentences: The dog ran away faster than you can say Jack Robinson. / She finished the race faster than you can say Jack Robinson.
Other Way to Say: In no time / Very fast
53. As fast as a cat
Meaning: Very quick and nimble.
Sample Sentences: He jumped up as fast as a cat. / The cat ran as fast as a cat chasing a toy.
Other Way to Say: Agile / Very fast
54. Speed like a bullet
Meaning: Extremely fast.
Sample Sentences: The car moved speed like a bullet. / The runner ran speed like a bullet.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Quick as a bullet
55. Fly like the wind
Meaning: Move very fast.
Sample Sentences: She flew like the wind across the field. / The kite flew like the wind in the sky.
Other Way to Say: Very fast / Swiftly
Multiple Choice Quiz: Idioms for Fast
1. What does the idiom “like the wind” mean?
A) Very slow
B) Very fast
C) Very strong
2. If someone does something “in a flash,” what are they doing?
A) Taking a long time
B) Doing it carefully
C) Doing it really fast
3. “He ran like a cheetah.” What does this tell us about him?
A) He was tired
B) He was running fast
C) He looked like a cat
4. What does “in the blink of an eye” mean?
A) Something happens slowly
B) Something happens very quickly
C) Something happens at night
5. If someone “burns rubber,” what are they doing?
A) Driving or moving super fast
B) Making a fire
C) Burning trash
6. “Quick as a bunny” means what?
A) Cute like a bunny
B) Fast like a bunny
C) Hops a lot
7. If something happens “in no time,” how long does it take?
A) A very short time
B) A whole day
C) An hour
8. “Gone in a flash” means the person or thing…
A) Shines brightly
B) Disappears slowly
C) Leaves very quickly
9. What does “race against the clock” mean?
A) Racing a real clock
B) Trying to finish before time runs out
C) Playing with a stopwatch
10. “Make a mad dash” means…
A) Run very quickly
B) Dance around
C) Jump slowly
11. If a game is “fast-paced,” what kind of game is it?
A) Slow and boring
B) Has lots of breaks
C) Moves quickly and keeps going
12. “Snap to it!” means what?
A) Break something
B) Start moving fast
C) Take a nap
Answer Key
- B) Very fast
- C) Doing it really fast
- B) He was running fast
- B) Something happens very quickly
- A) Driving or moving super fast
- B) Fast like a bunny
- A) A very short time.
- C) Leaves very quickly
- B) Trying to finish before time runs out
- A) Run very quickly
- C) Moves quickly and keeps going
- B) Start moving fast.
Scoring Guide
- 12 Correct Answers: Love Idiom Master!
You really understand these fast idioms! Great job! - 8–11 Correct Answers: Well on your way to understanding love idioms.
You’re getting strong at this. Keep practicing! - 4–7 Correct Answers: Room for improvement, but you’re getting there!
Try reading the examples again. You’re close! - 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s explore the world of love idioms together.
It’s okay idioms can be tricky. Keep learning and you’ll get it!
Conclusion
Learning idioms about speed can make speaking and writing more fun and interesting. These phrases help describe how fast something happens in a way that grabs attention.
Now that you’ve seen many examples and practiced with questions, you can spot these idioms in books, movies, and everyday talk. Keep using them, and soon they’ll feel natural when you speak or write.
