velocity

noun

ve·​loc·​i·​ty və-ˈlä-sə-tē 

-ˈlä-stē

plural velocities

1

a

: quickness of motion : speed

the velocity of sound

b

: rapidity of movement

[my horse's] strong suit is grace & personal comeliness, rather than velocity

—Mark Twain

c

: speed imparted to something

The power pitcher relies on velocity …

—Tony Scherman

2

: the rate of change of position along a straight line with respect to time : the derivative of position with respect to time

3

a

: rate of occurrence or action : rapidity

… the velocity of historical change …

—R. J. Lifton

b

: rate of turnover

the velocity of money

Synonyms of velocity

• speed
• rate

Examples of velocity in a Sentence

particles moving at high velocities

measuring the velocity of sound

the velocity of a bullet

Recent Examples on the Web

Sasaki’s troubles this season have been hard to pin down since his last win on May 23, as Sasaki tries to claw back the triple-digit velocity that’s escaped him as of late. — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Of those six singles, four had exit velocities under 90 mph, while two were under 80 mph. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 July 2026

Some early adopters are already compounding gains in efficiency, sales velocity, costs and visibility. — Bohdan Savchuk, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

The researchers' modeling included the energy of a launch vehicle, the velocity of the impact spacecraft, and changes to the velocity of the asteroid, in each of these two modes. — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English velocite, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French veloceté, borrowed from Latin vēlōcitāt-, vēlōcitās, from vēlōc-, vēlōx "swift, rapid" (of uncertain origin) + -itāt-, -itās -ity

Note: If going back to earlier *ueg-s-l-o-, perhaps a derivative from the base of vegēre "to give vigor to, enliven" (see vegetate) or vehere "to convey" (Indo-European *u̯eǵh-; see vehicle), assimilated to the -ōk- of ātrōx, ferōx (see atrocious, ferocious). Alternatively, a derivative *uē-lo-, from the Indo-European base *h₂u̯eh₁- "blow" (hence, "windlike"; see wind entry 1) has been suggested.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing velocity

• angular velocity
• escape velocity

Rhymes for velocity

• atrocity
• ferocity
• monstrosity
• pomposity
• porosity
• precocity
• schistosity
• verbosity
• viscosity
• animosity
• curiosity
• generosity

Kids Definition

velocity

noun

ve·​loc·​i·​ty və-ˈläs-ət-ē 

-ˈläs-tē

plural velocities

1

: quickness of motion : speed

the velocity of sound

2

: the rate of change of position along a straight line with respect to time

3

: rate of occurrence or action

the velocity of political change