vast

See also: VAST, väst, and -vast

English

Etymology

From Middle French vaste, from Latin vastus (“void, immense”). Related to waste and German Wüste.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: väst, IPA^(key): /vɑːst/
• (Northern England, Scotland) IPA^(key): /vast/
• (US) IPA^(key): /væst/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -æst, -ɑːst

Adjective

vast (comparative vaster or more vast, superlative vastest or most vast)

1. Very large or wide (literally or figuratively).

   Synonym: extensive

   The Sahara desert is vast.

   There is a vast difference between them.

   • 2022 December 30, Gregory Wallace, “Insiders at Southwest reveal how the airline’s service imploded”, in CNN‎^[1], archived from the original on 18 July 2025:

     They and the airline itself described an internal process that requires multiple departments to manually redesign the airline’s schedule – a system that works “the vast majority of the time,” Southwest said in a statement.

2. Very great in size, amount, degree, intensity, or especially extent.

   Synonym: extensive

   • 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter III.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 136:

     The exiguity and ſmallneſſe of ſome ſeeds extending to large productions is one of the magnalities of nature, ſomewhat illuſtrating the work of the Creation, and vaſt production from nothing.

   • 1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:

     Another place where, from the aesthetic point of view, a long tunnel would have been a real blessing, is East London as viewed from the carriage window on the old Great Eastern line. Despite a vast change from crowded slums to tracts of wasteland, due to its grim wartime experience, this approach still provides a shabby and unworthy introduction to the great capital.

   • 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist‎^[2], volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 February 2013, page 172:

     Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.

3. (obsolete) Waste; desert; desolate; lonely.
   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

     the empty, vast, and wandering air

Derived terms

• overvast
• supervast
• ultravast
• vastitude
• vastity
• vastly
• vast majority
• vastness

Translations

very large or wide (literally or figuratively)

• Arabic: شَاسِع (šāsiʕ), وَاسِع (wāsiʕ)
• Belarusian: шыро́кі (be) (šyróki), веліза́рны (be) (vjelizárny), вялі́зны (vjalízny), велічэ́зны (be) (vjeličézny)
• Bulgarian: обши́рен (bg) (obšíren), огро́мен (bg) (ogrómen)
• Catalan: vast (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 浩大 (zh) (hàodà)

• Czech: rozlehlý (cs)
• Danish: enorm
• Dutch: enorm (nl)
• Esperanto: vasta (eo)
• Estonian: tohutu, ääretu, suur (et)
• Finnish: valtava (fi), laaja (fi)
• French: vaste (fr), immense (fr)
• Galician: vasto
• Georgian: ვრცელი (vrceli), ვეებერთელა (veebertela), უზარმაზარი (uzarmazari), თვალუწვდენელი (tvaluc̣vdeneli), უსაზღვრო (usazɣvro)
• German: beträchtlich (de), weit (de), ausgedehnt (de), enorm (de), riesig (de)
• Greek: απέραντος (el) (apérantos)
• Hungarian: óriási (hu), hatalmas (hu)
• Irish: uafásach
• Italian: ampio (it), vasto (it), esteso (it), grande (it), immenso (it)
• Japanese: 広大な (ja) (こうだいな, kōdai na), 莫大な (ja) (ばくだいな, bakudai na)
• Korean: 광대하다 (ko) (gwangdaehada), 거대하다 (ko) (geodaehada), 광막하다 (gwangmakhada)
• Latin: effūsus
• Māori: whakatikotiko
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: кумда (kumda)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: enorm

• Polish: obszerny (pl), rozległy (pl), zdecydowany (pl) (in some collocations)
• Portuguese: vasto (pt)
• Russian: обши́рный (ru) (obšírnyj), огро́мный (ru) (ogrómnyj)
• Slovak: rozľahlý, rozsiahly, drvivý (figuratively), enormný (sk)
• Spanish: vasto (es), enorme (es)
• Swedish: enorm (sv)
• Tamil: பரந்த (paranta)
• Thai: ว้างเวิ้ง, ไพศาล (pai-sǎan), กว้างใหญ่ไพศาล (th), กว้างใหญ่ (th) (gwâang-yài)
• Tibetan: རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ (rgya chen po)
• Turkish: dev (tr), engin (tr), muazzam (tr)
• Ukrainian: широ́кий (šyrókyj), величе́зний (velyčéznyj)
• Woiwurrung: woorr-woorr

Noun

vast (plural vasts)

1. (poetic) A vast space.
   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     they have seemed to be together, though absent, shook hands, as over a vast, and embraced, as it were, from the ends of opposed winds.

Anagrams

• ATVs, tavs, VTAs, vats, VSAT

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin vāstus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central, Northwestern) [ˈbast]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [ˈvast]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Adjective

vast (feminine vasta, masculine plural vasts or vastos, feminine plural vastes)

1. vast, wide

Related terms

• vastitud

Further reading

• “vast”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “vast”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “vast” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “vast”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɑst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: vast
• Rhymes: -ɑst

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch vast, from Old Dutch fast, from Proto-West Germanic *fastī, from Proto-Germanic *fastuz.

Adjective

vast (comparative vaster, superlative meest vast or vastst)

1. firm, fast, tight
2. fixed, not moving or changing

   Kunnen we de vaste lasten dragen? ― Can we sustain the fixed costs?

3. stuck, unable to get out

   Haar hand zat vast in het gat. ― Her hand was stuck in the hole.

4. (chemistry) in the solid state

   Bij kamertemperatuur is het een vaste stof. ― It is a solid substance at room temperature.

5. (botany) perennial

   Hij heeft een aantal vaste planten gepoot. ― He has planted a few perennial plants.

6. (of a telephone) using a landline

   Is er een vaste verbinding? ― Is there a landline connection?

Declension

Declension of vast
uninflected	vast
inflected	vaste
comparative	vaster
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		vast	vaster	het vastst het vastste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	vaste	vastere	vastste
	n. sing.	vast	vaster	vastste
	plural	vaste	vastere	vastste
definite		vaste	vastere	vastste
partitive		vasts	vasters	—

Derived terms

• rotsvast
• vastbinden
• vaste verbinding
• vastgoed
• vasthouden
• vastklampen
• vastleggen
• vastlopen
• vastmaken
• vastpakken
• vaststellen
• vastzitten

Related terms

• vestigen

Descendants

• Afrikaans: vas
• Berbice Creole Dutch: vasi
• Negerhollands: vast, vas
• →? Sranan Tongo: fasi, fasti
  • → Caribbean Javanese: pasi, fasi

Adverb

vast

1. (obsolete) almost; about; close to
2. surely, certainly

   Synonym: zeker

   vast en zeker ― most certainly

3. (informal, sarcastically) sure, yeah, right

   Mijn hond at mijn huiswerk. — Ja, vast!

   My dog ate my homework. — Yeah, right!

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

vast

1. inflection of vasten:
   1. first/second/third-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *vasta, from Proto-Finno-Permic *wasta (“a place opposite or across”). Cognate to Finnish vasta, Votic vassõ, Northern Sami vuostá, Erzya вастомс (vastoms, “to meet; to receive”), Moksha васта (vasta, “place; distance”) and possibly Western Mari ваштареш (vaštareš, “against; across”).

Adverb

vast (not comparable)

1. maybe, possibly

   Synonyms: ehk, vahest, võib-olla

2. recently, just, now

   Synonyms: äsja, just, nüüdsama, alles

Derived terms

• vastama
• vastas
• vastik
• vastne
• vastu

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *vasta. Cognates include Finnish vasta and Estonian vast.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑstɑ/, [ˈʋɑs̠t]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑst/, [ˈʋɑʃt]
• Rhymes: -ɑst
• Hyphenation: vast
• Homophone: vasta

Adverb

vast

1. just now

Synonyms

• ikkee, vastikkää

Preposition

vast (+ partitive)

1. against, towards

Derived terms

• vastikkää

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 645

Livonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *vasta, from Proto-Finno-Permic *wasta (“a place opposite or across”). Cognate with Finnish vasta-, vastaan, vasten.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɑst/, [ˈvɑsˑt]

Preposition

vast [with partitive]

1. against

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “vast”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[3] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Ludian

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Old East Slavic хвостъ (xvostŭ); see vasta.

Noun

vast

1. bundle (of switches for the sauna)

Old Norse

Verb

vast

1. second-person singular past active indicative of vera

Romani

Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀳𑀢𑁆𑀣 (hattha), from Sanskrit हस्त (hásta). Cognate with Gujarati હાથ (hāth), Marwari and Nimadi हाथ (hāth), Sindhi هَٿُ (hatu).

Attested by Vulcanius in 1593.

Noun

vast m (vas, va, vah; nominative plural vasta, va, vas)

1. (anatomy) hand

   Kamav te ćumidav laqo vast.

   I want to kiss her hand.

Derived terms

• del vast

Further reading

• Boretzky, Norbert; Igla, Birgit (1994), “vast”, in Wörterbuch Romani-Deutsch-Englisch für den südosteuropäischen Raum : mit einer Grammatik der Dialektvarianten [Romani-German-English dictionary for the Southern European region] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 297
• Marcel Courthiade (2009), “o vast, -es- m. -a, -en-”, in Melinda Rézműves, editor, Morri angluni rromane ćhibǎqi evroputni lavustik = Első rromani nyelvű európai szótáram : cigány, magyar, angol, francia, spanyol, német, ukrán, román, horvát, szlovák, görög [My First European-Romani Dictionary: Romani, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, Greek] (overall work in Hungarian and English), Budapest: Fővárosi Onkormányzat Cigány Ház--Romano Kher, →ISBN, page 373

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin vāstuslbor.

French vastebor.

Romanian vast

Borrowed from French vaste, a learned borrowing from Latin vāstus.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

vast m or n (feminine singular vastă, masculine plural vaști, feminine/neuter plural vaste)

1. vast

Declension

Declension of vast

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	vast		vastă	vaști	vaste
	definite	vastul		vasta	vaștii	vastele
genitive- dative	indefinite	vast		vaste	vaști	vaste
	definite	vastului		vastei	vaștilor	vastelor

Related terms

• vastitate

Veps

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Old East Slavic хвостъ (xvostŭ); see vasta.

Noun

vast

1. broom, whisk
2. bath broom

Declension

Inflection of vast (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	vast
genitive sing.	vastan
partitive sing.	vastad
partitive plur.	vastoid
	singular	plural
nominative	vast	vastad
accusative	vastan	vastad
genitive	vastan	vastoiden
partitive	vastad	vastoid
essive-instructive	vastan	vastoin
translative	vastaks	vastoikš
inessive	vastas	vastoiš
elative	vastaspäi	vastoišpäi
illative	vastaha vastha	vastoihe
adessive	vastal	vastoil
ablative	vastalpäi	vastoilpäi
allative	vastale	vastoile
abessive	vastata	vastoita
comitative	vastanke	vastoidenke
prolative	vastadme	vastoidme
approximative I	vastanno	vastoidenno
approximative II	vastannoks	vastoidennoks
egressive	vastannopäi	vastoidennopäi
terminative I	vastahasai vasthasai	vastoihesai
terminative II	vastalesai	vastoilesai
terminative III	vastassai	—
additive I	vastahapäi vasthapäi	vastoihepäi
additive II	vastalepäi	vastoilepäi