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hyperdrive

hyperdrive

1 7.0
A time when work becomes very fast and intense
  • noun
  • /ˈhaɪpərˌdraɪv/
translation icon : modo frenético
  • After the merger, the project's momentum went into hyperdrive as teams rushed to meet the new deadline.
  • go into hyperdrive

And so now I have this like hyperdrive need to make sure that people are comfortable.

Examples

  • And so now I have this like hyperdrive need to make sure that people are comfortable.

  • The Japanese run product cycles in hyperdrive.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The tech industry has moved into hyperdrive with rapid innovations and increasing competition.

  • During the final weeks of the semester, student study groups often go into hyperdrive to prepare for exams.

Synonyms

overdrive
vshyperdrive
16 5.1

A time when a person or group works much harder than usual to finish things

focuses on intense rapid progress rather than excessive effort
in high gear
vshyperdrive
4 4.4

Working very fast and doing everything needed

is an even more intense period of rapid progress

How Intense

hyperdrive
1 7.0
overdrive
16 5.1
high gear
13 3.7
busy
1.0
steady pace
5 2.7

Surface Forms

hyperdrive singular
hyperdrives plural

Morphology

hyperdrive = drive (semi-transparent) = hyper + drive

The expression is built transparently from 'hyper' + 'drive', but the figurative sense of extreme activity is a metaphorical extension rather than a literal compositional meaning.

Etymology

Hyperdrive uses the same parts: hyper- 'over' and drive 'push' or 'power', and you can think of it like switching a machine into extra power. So when people say a project went into hyperdrive, they mean work suddenly became extremely fast and intense.