to zoom along
1
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /zuːm əˈlɔːŋ/
:
acelerar
- Jean and Benny zoom along in a battered old Army Jeep.
- zooming along the road
Examples
-
Tomorrow, Hong Kongers will keep zooming along as they always do: cheering for Obama, but only after double-checking stock movements and real estate prices around the world.
Blog text (24) -
The pickup zooms along, the road now paralleling a line of tall high-tension electrical towers.
Fiction book (1990) -
We'll just zoom along here for a couple of hours, then we're home and dry.
-
They are zooming along now and
Fiction book (1994) -
He zooms along the trail.
Academic text (2009) -
Nick was zooming along excitedly, demonstrating new techniques.
Fiction book (1998) -
She sees the following as she's zooming along at point M Prime.
-
Plissken zooms along, makes the turn onto La Brea Avenue with the caravan.
Fiction book (1996) -
The park was crowded with skaters zipping and zooming along the paths.
Fiction book (1997) -
The bullet train zooms along at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour.
Synonyms
137
1.0
To move or travel quickly, often faster than allowed
81
3.0
Go forward or leave a place when someone tells you to
26
1.3
To move very quickly, often making a low buzzing sound
3
3.6
To pass very quickly, as when a car goes by or time moves fast
1
4.5
To move very quickly, often making a humming or hissing sound
1
5.1
To go quickly to a nearby place for a short visit
1
2.7
To move quickly in one direction
1
3.5
To move very fast across the ground like a horse
1
5.1
To move very fast, often making a soft rushing sound like a car or train
Antonyms
How Fast
1
3.9
1
2.7
∞
1.0
81
3.0
5
2.6
19
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to move very quickly along a route' is directly and compositionally derived from 'zoom' (to move at high speed) plus 'along' (following a length or direction). This motion verb + directional particle pattern is common and predictable in English (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
The phrasal verb zoom along comes from the sound word zoom plus along, giving a simple picture of something making a quick 'zoom' noise as it moves down a road or path. That's why zoom along means 'to move or travel very quickly'.