Fast track Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

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What is the meaning of fast track? ›

noun. Britannica Dictionary definition of FAST TRACK. [singular] : a process or way of proceeding that produces a desired result quickly. The proposed law is on a fast track to/for approval.

the quickest route to a successful position: on the fast track He is on the fast track to success. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.

noun. 1. : a course leading to rapid advancement or success. 2. : a course of expedited consideration or approval.

/ˈfæst træk/ ​connected with or taking a quick way to achieve something, for example a high position in a job. the fast-track route to promotion.

accelerate assist facilitate hasten promote quicken speed urge.

the quickest, but usually most competitive, route to success or improvement. (Definition of fast track from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

noun. a racetrack dry and hard enough for optimum speed.

The fast track is an informal English term meaning "the quickest and most direct route to achievement of a goal, as in competing for professional advancement". By definition, it implies that a less direct, slower route also exists.

Examples from Collins dictionaries

Many saw independence as the fast track to democracy. He was told that, at 28, he was too old for fast-track promotion. A Federal Court case had been fast tracked to Wednesday. Woodward has fast-tracked a number of youngsters into the line-up since he became coach.

Informal. a situation or course of action that is intensely pressured or competitive, especially one in which a person advances rapidly to a higher level in a business or profession: With two promotions in six months, he seems to have chosen the fast track.

What does the term fast track mean __________? ›

Definitions of fast track. noun. a rapid means of achieving a goal.

Fast-tracking in project management refers to a method where tasks that would ordinarily be completed in sequential order are instead completed concurrently. Fast-tracking a project can indicate a number of things, including that the project is at risk of not finishing on time.

The earliest known use of the word fast track is in the 1850s. OED's earliest evidence for fast track is from 1859, in Daily Sun (Columbus, Georgia). fast track is formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: fast adj., track n.

To fast track something means to make it happen or progress faster or earlier than normal.

: a path made by or as if by repeated footfalls : trail. c. : a course laid out especially for racing. d. : the parallel rails of a railroad.

FasTrak is the preferred method of payment on The Toll Roads. It allows drivers to easily pay tolls electronically on every tolled bridge, lane and road in California.

Definition of 'on a fast track'

a. advancing or being promoted more rapidly than usual, esp. in business or other organizational positions. an executive on the fast track.

It is used if your relative has urgent health needs and/or nursing needs and is rapidly deteriorating and/or in a terminal phase of life. It is also used if your relative's health is likely to deteriorate rapidly before the next routine Continuing Healthcare review. It is not only for people at end of life.