Link Centre Dictionary

speed

UK/spiːd/ US/ˈspid/ common slang
noun (5) verb (5)

noun

1.
2.

a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens

  • “the project advanced with gratifying speed”
Synonyms
3.
4.
5.

a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression

Synonyms

verb

1.

step on it

  • “He rushed down the hall to receive his guests”
  • “The cars raced down the street”
Synonyms
Antonyms
2.

move faster

  • “The car accelerated”
Synonyms
Antonyms
3.

travel at an excessive or illegal velocity

  • “I got a ticket for speeding”
4.

move very fast

  • “The runner zipped past us at breakneck speed”
Synonyms
5.

cause to move faster

  • “He accelerated the car”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English sped (“prosperity, good luck, quickness, success”), from Old English spēd (“success”), from Proto-West Germanic *spōdi (“prosperity, success”), from Proto-West Germanic *spōan, from Proto-Germanic *spōaną (“to prosper, succeed, be happy”), from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to prosper, turn out well”). Cognate with Scots spede, speid (“success, quickness, speed”), Dutch spoed (“haste; speed”), German Low German Spood (“haste; speed; eagerness; success”), German Sput (“progress, acceleration, haste”). Related also to Old English spōwan (“to be successful, succeed”), Albanian shpejt (“to speed, to hurry”) and Russian спеши́ть (spešítʹ, “to hurry”), Latin spēs (“hope, expectation”), spērō (“hope”, verb), perhaps also to Ancient Greek σπεύδω (speúdō, “to urge on, hasten, press on”).

Phrases

  • at speed
  • bat speed
  • clock speed
  • closing speed
  • constant speed drive
  • constant-speed propeller
  • cruising speed
  • design speed
  • speed up

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.