Express vs. Fast — What's the Difference?

To set forth in words; state

Acting, moving, or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift.

To manifest or communicate, as by a gesture; show

Accomplished in relatively little time

To make known the feelings or opinions of (oneself), as by statement or art.

Acquired quickly with little effort and sometimes unscrupulously

To convey or suggest a representation of; depict

Quick to understand or learn; mentally agile

To represent by a sign, symbol, number, or formula

Indicating a time somewhat ahead of the actual time

To squeeze or press out, as juice from an orange.

Allowing rapid movement or action

To send by special messenger or rapid transport

Designed for or compatible with a short exposure time

To synthesize (a product, especially a protein) encoded by a gene

Disposed to dissipation; wild

To manifest the effects of (a gene)

Flouting conventional moral standards; sexually promiscuous.

To manifest (a genetic trait)

Resistant, as to destruction or fading

Definitely and explicitly stated

Firmly fixed or fastened

Particular; specific

Fixed firmly in place; secure

Rapid and having few or no stops or interruptions

Lasting; permanent

Of, relating to, or appropriate for rapid travel

Deep; sound

Designed for use in an express rifle

In a secure manner; tightly

By express delivery or transport.

To a sound degree; deeply

A rapid, efficient system for the delivery of goods and mail.

In a rapid manner; quickly.

Goods and mail conveyed by such a system.

In quick succession

A means of transport, such as a train, that travels rapidly and makes few or no stops before its destination.

Ahead of the correct or expected time

A special messenger.

In a dissipated, immoderate way

A message delivered by special courier.

(Archaic) Close by; near.

(not comparable) Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops.

To abstain from food.

(comparable) Specific or precise; directly and distinctly stated; not merely implied.

To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.

Truly depicted; exactly resembling.

The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food.

Providing a more limited but presumably faster service than a full or complete dealer of the same kind or type.

A period of such abstention or self-denial.

A mode of transportation, often a train, that travels quickly or directly.

(dated) Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable.

A service that allows mail or money to be sent rapidly from one destination to another.

Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.

An express rifle.

(of people) Steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now mostly in set phrases like fast friend(s).)

(obsolete) A clear image or representation; an expression; a plain declaration.

Moving with great speed, or capable of doing so; swift, rapid.

A messenger sent on a special errand; a courier.

Having a kinetic energy between 1 million and 20 million electron volts; often used to describe the energy state of free neutrons at the moment of their release by a nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reaction (i.e., before the neutrons have been slowed down by anything).

An express office.

Of a place, characterised by business, hustle and bustle, etc.

That which is sent by an express messenger or message.

Causing unusual rapidity of play or action.

(obsolete) The action of conveying some idea using words or actions; communication, expression.

Able to transfer data in a short period of time.

(obsolete) A specific statement or instruction.

Deep or sound (of sleep); fast asleep (of people).

Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops.

(of dyes or colours) Not running or fading when subjected to detrimental conditions such as wetness or intense light; permanent.

(transitive) To convey or communicate; to make known or explicit.

(obsolete) Tenacious; retentive.

(transitive) To press, squeeze out (especially said of milk).

(dated) Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits.

(biochemistry) To translate messenger RNA into protein.

Ahead of the correct time or schedule.

(biochemistry) To transcribe deoxyribonucleic acid into messenger RNA.

(of photographic film) More sensitive to light than average.

Exactly representing; exact.

In a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved; safe, sound .

Directly and distinctly stated; declared in terms; not implied or left to inference; made unambiguous by intention and care; clear; not dubious; as, express consent; an express statement.

(of sleeping) Deeply or soundly .

Of or pertaining to an express train or other conveyance designated an express{5}; makiung few or no intermediate stops; as, an express stop; an express fare; an express elevator.

Immediately following in place or time; close, very near .

Intended for a particular purpose; relating to an express; sent on a particular errand; dispatched with special speed; as, an express messenger or train. Also used adverbially.

Quickly, with great speed; within a short time .

A clear image or representation; an expression; a plain declaration.

Ahead of the correct time or schedule.

A messenger sent on a special errand; a courier; hence, a regular and fast conveyance; commonly, a company or system for the prompt and safe transportation of merchandise or parcels.

A train that calls at only some stations it passes between its origin and destination, typically just the principal stations

An express office.

The act or practice of fasting, religious abstinence from food

That which is sent by an express messenger or message.

One of the fasting periods in the liturgical year

A railway train or bus for transporting passengers or goods with speed and punctuality; a train or bus that does not stop at certain stations. Contrasted to local; as, take the express to get there faster.

(archery) Short for "stand fast", a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target

To press or squeeze out; as, to express the juice of grapes, or of apples; hence, to extort; to elicit.

(intransitive) To practice religious abstinence, especially from food.

To make or offer a representation of; to show by a copy or likeness; to represent; to resemble.

To reduce or limit one's nutrition intake for medical or health reasons, to diet.

To give a true impression of; to represent and make known; to manifest plainly; to show in general; to exhibit, as an opinion or feeling, by a look, gesture, and esp. by language; to declare; to utter; to tell.

To abstain from food; to omit to take nourishment in whole or in part; to go hungry.

To make known the opinions or feelings of; to declare what is in the mind of; to show (one's self); to cause to appear; - used reflexively.

To practice abstinence as a religious exercise or duty; to abstain from food voluntarily for a time, for the mortification of the body or appetites, or as a token of grief, or humiliation and penitence.

To denote; to designate.

Abstinence from food; omission to take nourishment.

To send by express messenger; to forward by special opportunity, or through the medium of an express; as, to express a package.

Voluntary abstinence from food, for a space of time, as a spiritual discipline, or as a token of religious humiliation.

To produce products that cause the appearance of the corresponding phenotype; - of a gene or of an organism with a specific gene; as, to express the beta-galactosidase gene,

A time of fasting, whether a day, week, or longer time; a period of abstinence from food or certain kinds of food; as, an annual fast.

Rapid transport of goods

That which fastens or holds; especially, (Naut.) a mooring rope, hawser, or chain; - called, according to its position, a bow, head, quarter, breast, or stern fast; also, a post on a pier around which hawsers are passed in mooring.

Mail that is distributed by a rapid and efficient system

Firmly fixed; closely adhering; made firm; not loose, unstable, or easily moved; immovable; as, to make fast the door.

Public transport consisting of a fast train or bus that makes a limited number of scheduled stops;

Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.

Give expression to;

Firm in adherence; steadfast; not easily separated or alienated; faithful; as, a fast friend.

Articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise;

Permanent; not liable to fade by exposure to air or by washing; durable; lasting; as, fast colors.

Indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.;

Tenacious; retentive.

Serve as a means for expressing something;

Not easily disturbed or broken; deep; sound.

Manifest the effects of (a gene or genetic trait);

Moving rapidly; quick in mition; rapid; swift; as, a fast horse.

Obtain from a substance, as by mechanical action;

Given to pleasure seeking; disregardful of restraint; reckless; wild; dissipated; dissolute; as, a fast man; a fast liver.

Send my rapid transport or special messenger service;

In such a condition, as to resilience, etc., as to make possible unusual rapidity of play or action; as, a fast racket, or tennis court; a fast track; a fast billiard table, etc.

Not tacit or implied;

In a fast, fixed, or firmly established manner; fixedly; firmly; immovably.

Without unnecessary stops;

In a fast or rapid manner; quickly; swiftly; extravagantly; wildly; as, to run fast; to live fast.

By express;

Abstaining from food

Abstain from certain foods, as for religious or medical reasons;

Abstain from eating;

Acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly;

(used of timepieces) indicating a time ahead of or later than the correct time;

At a rapid tempo;

(of surfaces) conducive to rapid speeds;

Firmly fastened or secured against opening;

Resistant to destruction or fading;

Unrestrained by convention or morality;

Hurried and brief;

Securely fixed in place;

Unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause;

Quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form);

Firmly or tightly;