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:
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
Rather, analysts said they expected Beijing to expedite the issuance of government bonds to accelerate public expenditure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
With their sense of smell, search dogs expedite rescue efforts by quickly inspecting large areas, Parada said, which is crucial given that the chances of finding people alive decrease as the initial 72-hour window passes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 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
"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
The declaration unlocks state funding and expedites help for governments requesting it, Mellor said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
A good sized garden shovel on one side and a big canvas bag on the other expedites bank transactions in the islands.
From An Ohio Woman in the Philippines Giving personal experiences and descriptions including incidents of Honolulu, ports in Japan and China by Emily Bronson Conger
One of those state laws, written by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and co-wrote by Wiener, mandates expedited approval for mixed-income projects along commercial corridors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Waiving such environmental protection requirements would allow approvals to be expedited "to launch rockets, reenter spacecraft, and operate launch and reentry sites," the FAA said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The evidence, pertaining to both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, was turned over in expedited discovery ordered by U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Merck’s drug followed an expedited approval pathway, the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher Pilot Program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The expedited work was finished by the end of May, and a vast circular building near Strawberry Canyon originally designed to house the world’s biggest cyclotron became the headquarters of an entirely different project.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
"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
Let’s hope the new leadership understands the importance of expediting treatments for deadly and rare diseases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
On Tuesday, at least six federal prosecutors resigned in protest and others in Minnesota and Washington reportedly are expediting plans to quit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
“With more and more projects nearing completion across Pacific Palisades, the City of Los Angeles remains committed to expediting every aspect of the rebuild process until every family is back home.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 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.
