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.

Origin of speed-up

1
First recorded in 1920–25; noun use of verb phrase speed up

Words Nearby speed-up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use speed-up in a sentence

  • Sara Lee heard his car going at its usual breakneck speed up the street, and went to the door.

    The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • He climbed up the hand-and footholds the sea-monster lamp disclosed, wishing the mermen ahead would speed up.

    Star Born | Andre Norton
  • He pulled his throttle back, shot the speed up, rumbling down the hill, toward the village.

    The Onslaught from Rigel | Fletcher Pratt
  • He frowned and bit his moustache, and in the annoyance of the moment spurred his horse full speed up the castle road.

    The Pagan's Cup | Fergus Hume
  • It was indeed Blant, making desperate speed up the steep slope.

    Mothering on Perilous | Lucy S. Furman

British Dictionary definitions for speed up

speed up

verb(adverb)
  1. to increase or cause to increase in speed or rate; accelerate

nounspeed-up
  1. an instance of this; acceleration

usage For speed up

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with speed-up

speed-up

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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.