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Warp speed is an example of a phrase that entered the public consciousness through science fiction and eventually gained enough popularity to end up in the dictionary. The expression was popularized on the science-fiction show Star Trek in the 1960s. On the show, warp speed referred to a specific concept, namely the idea of faster-than-light travel. Within a relatively short period of time, Star Trek gained a devoted and intense following. Fans were soon discussing the fictional concepts of the show, including warp speed, with great enthusiasm. Eventually, the term warp speed was adopted by the general population. In the process, however, it lost its specific fictional meaning and came to mean simply "the highest possible speed."
Examples of warp speed in a Sentence
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Their slow march toward secular adult indulgence kicked into warp speed about a decade and a half ago, when beauty companies began putting sample-size products into glamorous boxes and marketing them under seasonal names.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 18 Nov. 2025
Personally, this is my favorite on the album because of the message of living in the moment that resonates so well today, at a time when everything seems to moving at warp speed.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 10 Nov. 2025
Chirag Shah, a professor with the Information School at the University of Washington, says AI has become a phenomenon at warp speed, with minimal regulation, and there have been consequences.
—NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warp speed
Cite this Entry
“Warp speed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warp%20speed. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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