warp speed
Americannoun
Usage
What does warp speed mean? Warp speed is an extremely fast speed. In science fiction stories, especially in the Star Trek universe, warp speed refers to a hypothetical speed faster than the speed of light that can be achieved by spaceships like the USS Enterprise. This use became popular enough to enter the language as a general term for a really, really fast speed. It’s typically used in exaggerations about how fast something is moving or how fast an action is performed. Example: My kids usually drag their feet when I ask them to do their chores, but they start working at warp speed if I promise them pizza.
Etymology
Origin of warp speed
Alluding to the use in science fiction of spatial or temporal warps to travel interstellar distances
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.
A decade later, Starlink is now generating enough money to bankroll a company that burns through it at warp speed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Since 2019, when the series premiered, Elordi and co-stars Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney have seen their careers hit warp speed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025
But I don't think any of us could have predicted the exact confluence of atrocities being committed at warp speed from every direction.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2025
Then came the stunning rise played out at warp speed.
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025
The Town Gran moved at warp speed, pushing the Witchlings behind her.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
