Synonyms for speed
noun
swiftness, celerity, briskness, activity, eagerness, haste, hurry, promptitude, acceleration, dispatch, velocity, readiness, agility, liveliness, quickness, momentum, promptness, expedition, rapidity, alacrity, pace, precipitation, rush, precipitancy, urgency, legerity, rate, headway, breeze*, bat*, clip*, snap*, steam*.
Antonyms slowness*, tardiness, dilatoriness. See syn. study at haste.haste.
verb
To move rapidly
race, rush, hurry, go fast, ride hard, put on sail, go like the wind*, cut along*, crowd sail, bowl along*, cover ground*, gun the motor*, give her the gas*, go all out*, gear up*, go it*, break the sound barrier*; see also race 1.
To promote
expedite, advance, further; see promote 1.
See speed in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms
speed hurry hasten quicken accelerate precipitate
These verbs mean to proceed or cause to proceed rapidly or more rapidly. Speed refers to swift motion or action: The train sped through the countryside. Postal workers labored overtime to speed delivery of the holiday mail.
Hurry implies a markedly faster rate than usual, often with concomitant confusion or commotion: Hurry, or you'll miss the plane! Don't let anyone hurry you into making a decision.
Hasten suggests urgency and often eager or rash swiftness: My doctor hastened to reassure me that the tests were negative. His off-color jokes only hastened his dismissal.
Quicken and especially accelerate refer to increase in rate of activity, growth, or progress: The skater's breathing quickened as he neared the end of his routine. The runner quickened her pace as she drew near the finish line. The economic expansion has continued but is no longer accelerating. Heat greatly accelerates the deterioration of perishable foods.
Precipitate implies causing something to happen abruptly or prematurely: Mention of the issue precipitated an angry outburst during the meeting.
See Also Synonyms at
haste.
See speed in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
Rate of motion or performance:
pace, tempo, velocity. (Informal) clip1. See fastRapidness of movement or activity:
celerity, dispatch, expedition, expeditiousness, fleetness, haste, hurry, hustle, quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speediness, swiftness. See fast
verb
To increase the speed of.
Also used with up: accelerate, expedite, hasten, hurry, hustle, quicken, step up. See fastTo move swiftly:
bolt, bucket, bustle, dart, dash, festinate, flash, fleet, flit, fly, haste, hasten, hurry, hustle, pelt2, race, rocket, run, rush, sail, scoot, scour2, shoot, sprint, tear1, trot, whirl, whisk, whiz, wing, zip, zoom. (Informal) hotfoot, rip. (Slang) barrel, highball. (Chiefly British) nip1. Idioms: get a move on, get cracking, go like lightning, go like the wind, hotfoot it, make haste, make time, make tracks, run like the wind, shake a leg, step (or jump) on it. See move
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