velocity
Americannoun
PLURAL
velocities-
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
Related Words
See speed.
Etymology
Origin of velocity
First recorded in 1540–50, velocity is from the Latin word vēlōcitās speed. See velocipede, -ty 2
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.
These variations can imitate the subtle radial velocity signals astronomers look for, sometimes making it difficult to determine whether a planet is truly present.
From Science Daily
Advanced Navigation, a company in Australia that makes inertial navigation systems, is preparing to launch a sensor that measures an aircraft’s velocity in three dimensions by shooting lasers at the ground.
But it is new territory for England to arrive with a group capable of matching - or even outdoing - the hosts for velocity.
From BBC
He’s also touted even wilder ideas, saying on X that 100 terawatts a year “is possible from a lunar base producing solar-powered AI satellites locally and accelerating them to escape velocity with a mass driver.”
He’s 6 feet 2, 200 pounds and has been gaining velocity as he grew in his teenage years.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
