speed-up

[speed-uhp]

noun

1. an increasing of speed.

2. an imposed increase in the rate of production of a worker without a corresponding increase in the rate of pay.

speed up

verb

1. to increase or cause to increase in speed or rate; accelerate

noun

1. an instance of this; acceleration

Usage

The past tense and past participle of speed up is speeded up , not sped up

Word History and Origins

Origin of speed up¹

First recorded in 1920–25; noun use of verb phrase speed up

Idioms and Phrases

Accelerate, expedite, increase the rate, as in The car speeded up as it went downhill, or It's difficult to speed up production without new equipment. [Late 1800s]

Related Words

• abate 
• allay 
• ameliorate 
• calm 
• expedite 
• facilitate 
• further 
• improve 
• lessen 
• lift 
• mitigate 
• moderate 
• promote 
• relax 
• relieve 
• simplify 
• soften 
• soothe 
• speed