average speed

American  

noun

1. the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed.

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Usage

What is average speed? Average speed is calculated by dividing the total distance that something has traveled by the total amount of time it took it to travel that distance. Speed is how fast something is going at a particular moment. Average speed measures the average rate of speed over the extent of a trip. Average speed is usually applied to vehicles like cars, trains, and airplanes. It is often measured in miles per hour (mph) or kilometers per hour (kph). Average speed is used in all kinds of fields, including physics, astronomy, and transportation.

Etymology

Origin of average speed

First recorded in 1820–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

average speed

After separating from the glacier, the berg moved down Petermann Fjord toward Nares Strait at an average speed of about 3 kilometers per day during its first week.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

The peloton completed stage 11 at an average speed of 50.9km per hour, beating the previous record of 50.3kph from 1999.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The average speed of the modern industrial shipping vessel has declined in recent decades, but fuel efficiency has gone up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

"I was scared out of my wits," said Austria's long-retired Fritz Strobl of his record-setting Kitzbuehel descent in 1min 51.58sec in 1997 -- his average speed was an astonishing 106.9km/h.

From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026

Note that this reflects top speed, not average speed over a distance, which would be slower.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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