speed (up)

verb

Definition of speed (up)next
as in to accelerate
to cause to move or proceed fast or faster we have to speed up production if we are ever going to make the deadline

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speed (up)
  1. accelerate
  2. rush
  3. push
Verb
  • Chemically destroying the channel in adult mouse osteocytes accelerated signs of aging far beyond the skeleton, affecting the brain, liver, and muscles.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • However, strain among emerging cloud providers could accelerate industry consolidation.
    — , CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of accelerate
Verb
  • Police detained Runa at the care home and took her away before her mother, who had rushed back to the facility upon hearing the news, had a chance to see her, Yoko recalled.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Hawkins, who entered the game leading the nation with 14 rushing TDs, also had scoring runs of 2 and 36 yards.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of rush
Verb
  • Concern is intensifying as artificial intelligence companies pursue trillion-dollar valuations, and established internet giants pour money into developing advanced AI models while pushing them into the classroom.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Far-right President Javier Milei's sweeping austerity measures, which have pushed millions of Argentines into poverty, could put him at odds with Leo, who has long championed the poor.
    — Carrie Kahn, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of push
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

speeds (up)
speed (up)
speedy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Speed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speed%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cockamamie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All