speed-up
noun
an increasing of speed.
speed-up
American
[speed-uhp]
/ ˈspidˌʌp /
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.
speed up
British
verb
noun
speed up
Idioms
Usage
The past tense and past participle of speed up is speeded up , not sped up
Etymology
Origin of speed-up
First recorded in 1920–25; noun use of verb phrase speed up
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:
Hybrid computing often leads to a speed-up in a particular task, as was the case here.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
"The speed-up couldn't come sooner for patients who need help now."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2026
Derek Lessard of TD Cowen says in a report that this acquisition should help speed-up M&A and deliver more meaningful synergies over time, especially once the new business is integrated into the broader company’s operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
That speed-up carried over to the postseason, where nine-inning World Series games averaged 3:01, the fastest since 1996.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
When the field was just a radiation speed-up, I used forty milliamperes of current to the square centimetre of field-plate.
From Operation: Outer Space by Murray Leinster
At ThredUp, AI helps sort the millions of pieces of clothing sent into warehouses, helping speed up operations and reduce costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Novo Nordisk has partnered with Anthropic’s science-specific platform, Claude Science, to help speed up the discovery and development of new medicines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
These speed up the sales process for vendors by appealing to customers who can’t predict what they need.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
There are also a number of applications in medicine, as scientists use AI to help spot cancers, review X-ray results, speed up diagnoses and identify new treatments.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
My heart seemed to speed up and slow down.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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.
