speed-up

[ speed-uhp ]

noun

an increasing of speed.
an imposed increase in the rate of production of a worker without a corresponding increase in the rate of pay.

Origin of speed-up

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. 2023

How to use speed-up in a sentence

The rest of us get meaningful information that may speed up the development of the next great medical intervention.
The Upside of Ebola (Yes, There May Actually Be One) | Nick Gillespie | October 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a result, a satellite passing over a higher-mass region would speed up very slightly, and slow down over a lower-mass one.
Glaciers Lose 204 Billion Tons of Ice in Three Years | Matthew R. Francis | October 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The administration has been trying to speed up the delivery of F-16 fighter jets and 24 Apache helicopters to Iraq.
Exclusive: Putin’s Pilots Set to Fly Over Iraq | Josh Rogin | July 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to speed up the process for approving cancer drugs.
How Big Pharma Holds Back in the War on Cancer | ProPublica | April 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the most bizarre aspect was how time seemed to slow down and speed up without warning.
The JFK Assassination: The Long Weekend That Never Ended | Malcolm Jones | November 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

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)

to increase or cause to increase in speed or rate; accelerate

nounspeed-up

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]

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