velocity
Americannoun
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velocities
plural
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rapidity of motion or operation; swiftness; speed.
a high wind velocity.
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Mechanics. the time rate of change of position of a body in a specified direction.
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the rate of speed with which something happens; rapidity of action or reaction.
noun
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speed of motion, action, or operation; rapidity; swiftness
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u. v. w. physics a measure of the rate of motion of a body expressed as the rate of change of its position in a particular direction with time. It is measured in metres per second, miles per hour, etc
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physics (not in technical usage) another word for speed
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The speed and direction of motion of a moving body. Velocity is a vector quantity.
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Compare acceleration speed
Synonym Usage
See speed.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of velocity
First recorded in 1540–50, velocity is from the Latin word vēlōcitās speed. See velocipede, -ty 2
Explanation
If your rocket is traveling at maximum velocity, it means it can't go any faster. Velocity is quickness of motion or action. A synonym is celerity; a simpler word is speed. In physics, velocity specifically refers to the measurement of the rate and direction of change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity that specifies both the speed of a body and its direction of motion. The noun velocity descends from Middle English velocite, from Old French, from Latin vēlōcitās, from vēlōx "fast."
Vocabulary lists containing velocity
Automobiles
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Word Generation Science - Energy
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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:
Furthermore, if anyone asks you the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow, the proper answer is “African or European?”
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
“We are starting to hit escape velocity on our path to be the winner that takes most in digital financial services,” SoFi CEO Anthony Noto told investors.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
These high velocity impacts shattered enormous volumes of rock beneath the surface while vaporizing material and scattering molten rock across the landscape.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Ohtani gave the Sacramento crowd what it wanted to see: a majestic 432-foot home run, with a supercharged, 112-mph exit velocity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
"I have interval pings. Working out our intercept range and velocity . . ." Martinez and Lewis stared at Johanssen as she brought up the intercept calculation software.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
If Murakami struggled to connect against the slower velocities of the Japanese league, how would he fare against a steady diet of upper-90s heat?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
The real cause for the explosion in torn ulnar collateral ligaments is now believed to be high velocities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
"These theories assume that one is describing something with well-defined velocities and energies," explains Diana Kirschbaum.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 15, 2026
Even in an era of rising fastball velocities around the sport, sitting in the mid-90s is still safely above the major-league average.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
An object receding from us at very high velocities has its spectral lines red-shifted.'
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
