fast forwards

Verb

fast forward (third-person singular simple present fast forwards, present participle fast forwarding, simple past and past participle fast forwarded)

1. (transitive) To rapidly progress the playback of a recording.
2. (intransitive) (Of playback of a recording) to rapidly progress.
3. (figuratively, intransitive) To shift one's attention or focus toward a later point in time.
   • Antarctica was remote, little of value […] was at stake, and few states had the capacity to get to Antarctica or otherwise challenge the claimants. […] Fast-forward to the present, and the picture looks somewhat different.2012, Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, Karen N. Scott, Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century, page 77

   Synonyms:

   jump-cut

4. (figuratively, intransitive) To advance rapidly in time.
   • Metallica have revealed that they plan to ‘fast-forward to the next chapter’ of working with Lady Gaga – sparking rumours of a collaborative album.2017 February 15, Andrew Trndell, “Metallica to ‘fast-forward to next chapter’ of working with Lady Gaga”, in NME, archived from the original on 26 Dec 2022
5. (figuratively, transitive) To accelerate.
   • Lippman said Crispr is an incredibly useful tool in research, allowing him to ask new questions of the tomato plants he breeds, by fast-forwarding the research process. “The amount of genetics that we’re currently able to do has at least quintupled in the last three years,” he said.2019 May 30, Karen Weintraub, “Crispr gene-editing will change the way Americans eat – here's what's coming”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 13 Aug 2019

See all 8 meanings of fast forward