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]

Example Sentences

However, earlier this year the UK's spending watchdog, the National Audit Office warned that this target would be missed unless the process was speeded up.

From BBC

There are growing concerns among car manufacturers that rules designed to speed up the transition to electric are too harsh.

From BBC

In the future, this AI model could speed up the diagnosis of depression, or even make it remote, and reduce the risk of subjective evaluations.

From Science Daily

Also at Cop29, which ends on Friday, 22 November, the US and UK announced that they would collaborate to speed up the development of new nuclear power technology.

From BBC

The UK will speed up the decommissioning of old military equipment to save up to £500m over five years, the government says.

From BBC

Related Words

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