expedite
Americanverb (used with object)
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expedites,
present (3rd person singular)
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expedited,
past participle, past
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expediting
present participle
adjective
verb
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to hasten the progress of; hasten or assist
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to do or process (something, such as business matters) with speed and efficiency
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rare to dispatch (documents, messages, etc)
adjective
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unimpeded or prompt; expeditious
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alert or prepared
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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expeditesimple
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expeditessimple
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have expeditedperfect
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has expeditedperfect
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am expeditingprogressive
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are expeditingprogressive
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is expeditingprogressive
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have been expeditingperfect progressive
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has been expeditingperfect progressive
Past
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expeditedsimple
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had expeditedperfect
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was expeditingprogressive
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were expeditingprogressive
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had been expeditingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of expedite
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin expedītus (past participle of expedīre “to disengage, set the feet free”), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + ped- (stem of pēs ) foot + -ītus adjective suffix ( see -ite 2)
Explanation
To expedite something is to make it go faster or speed up the process. Expediting that package might get it to Alaska by tomorrow, instead of next Tuesday. If someone says, "Let me expedite the process," that's probably a good thing: they're offering to speed things up. If you've ever waited in line a long time, then you must have wished someone could expedite things. A driver can expedite his commute by going in the faster car-pool lane. Whenever there's a lot of paperwork for something, it's nice to know someone who can expedite the process. When you see the word expedite, think "Make faster!"
Vocabulary lists containing expedite
Grade 10, List 5
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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This Week in Words: April 1 - 6, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
More broadly, willingness to expedite drugs to desperate patients doesn’t mean standards have been lowered, explains Ipsita Smolinski, a healthcare policy consultant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
"Additionally, our study suggests potential therapeutic opportunities to expedite this process, such as repurposing drugs like SGLT2 inhibitors, which have shown promise in reducing inflammation and promoting immune-mediated clearance of senescent cells in obesity."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
The agency said in April that it has also streamlined internal processes to expedite death penalty cases.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The agency will use its technology to identify conditions from the compassionate allowances list so that it can expedite claims processing.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Coin thought the parachutes would expedite the war.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Airlines have worked with the agency to develop a biometric process that expedites verification.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
One company, Wysa, was granted a special designation from the Food and Drug Administration that expedites the process toward approving it as a medical device for people with depression and anxiety related to chronic pain.
From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2025
For her, the intention of Please Be Nice is to make pool accessible to young women: “It’s a community cheering for each other and seeing each other get good. It expedites people’s learning.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2024
"This expedites the process of healing, allowing the body to move forward with tissue repair and recovery," Brown says.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2024
It is foolish and wrong to repress them, as many nurses do, because the child in his attempts gets in the way, and no doubt for a time delays rather than expedites preparations.
From The Nervous Child by Hector Charles Cameron
Both cases are expected to reach the state Supreme Court on expedited appeals.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Graves said that Public Counsel filed its complaint with the California Education Department because it can carry out an expedited complaint process in as little as 60 days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
But through an expedited process, a single member of FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee saw fit to delay the ban, according to people familiar with the inner workings of the reversal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
State-owned newspaper al-Ahram said several suspects believed to have taken part in the plot were detained and referred for an expedited criminal trial.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
We have seen that each step in oxidation is directed and expedited by a specific enzyme.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
The first three came with men on base, expediting the damage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Whilst councils are being forced into damaging cuts, we are also expediting service transformation, which must be recognised as we begin to consider our role and expectations in public service reform," he added.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Dr. Makary likes to boast that the FDA is becoming more flexible and expediting breakthrough treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
“I’m expediting state funds for food banks and directing the California National Guard and California Volunteers to help distribute this food to families,” Newsom said in an Oct.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2025
Weaver brought the blind request to Raymond Fosdick, disguised as a grant application “for expediting the construction of the giant cyclotron, and for the purchase of certain associated equipment.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
