expedite

[ek-spi-dahyt]

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verb (used with object), ex·pe·dit·ed, ex·pe·dit·ing.

to speed up the progress of; hasten: to expedite shipments.

to accomplish promptly, as a piece of business; dispatch: to expedite one's duties.

to issue or dispatch, as an official document or letter.

adjective

Obsolete. ready for action; alert.

Nearby words

Origin of expedite

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin expedītus (past participle of expedīre to disengage, set the feet free), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + ped- (stem of pēs) foot + -ītus -ite²

SYNONYMS FOR expedite

1. quicken, push, accelerate, hurry.

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ANTONYMS FOR expedite

1. delay.

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Related formsun·ex·pe·dit·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expediting

Forget about President Obama expediting U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan this year.
Why Obama Won’t Speed U.S. Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan|Leslie H. Gelb|March 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
You would think that the Pentagon brass would be expediting the full opening of a new brain trauma facility in Bethesda, Maryland.
The Pentagon's New Disservice to Soldiers|Leslie H. Gelb|July 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
After this go into Committee, and succeed in not expediting progress.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105 December 9, 1893|Various
General Harrison left the army for the purpose of consulting with Gov. Meigs, and for expediting the march of the reinforcements.
A Journal of Two Campaigns of the Fourth Regiment of U.S. Infantry|Adam Walker

About the same time he made another application to Burghley, apparently with a view to expediting his progress at the bar.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
You owe me nothing, and you will owe me nothing, dear Mr. Leighton, for expediting your pictures to England.
The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton|Mrs. Russell Barrington
If this were really the only object, then every plan for expediting the acquisition would be received with grateful approbation.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for expediting

expedite

verb (tr)

to hasten the progress of; hasten or assist

to do or process (something, such as business matters) with speed and efficiency

rare to dispatch (documents, messages, etc)

adjective obsolete

unimpeded or prompt; expeditious

alert or prepared

Word Origin for expedite

C17: from Latin expedīre, literally: to free the feet (as from a snare), hence, liberate, from ex- 1 + pēs foot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for expediting

expedite

late 15c. (implied in past participle expedit), from Latin expeditus, past participle of expedire "extricate, disengage, liberate; procure, make ready, make fit, prepare," literally "free the feet from fetters," hence "liberate from difficulties," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + *pedis "fetter, chain for the feet," related to pes (genitive pedis) "foot" (see foot). Cf. Greek pede "fetter." Related: Expedited; expediting.