Skip to main content
to quicken the pace

to quicken the pace

1 3.9
Move or work faster to finish sooner
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : acelerar
  • The coach decided to quicken the pace of practice to prepare the team for the upcoming match.

Examples

  • Quicken the pace a little bit, huh?

  • Pakistan quickened the pace of its nuclear missile programs, achieving near parity with India in May 1998.

    Academic text (2003)
  • It means monetary policy can play the primary role in managing demand," he says, giving a very clear push to the RBA to quicken the pace of rate cuts.

    Blog text (13)
  • To quicken the pace of national reconciliation, Odierno attempted to integrate the ISF, which until that time had been predominantly Shiite.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Although extending their life spans may have some advantages, shortening the span might quicken the pace at which new cars with the latest emission-control and fuel-saving technologies become prevalent.

    Academic text (1990)
  • This anticipated cost has been taken into account in Mozambique, where some 7,500 UN military peacekeepers and police contingents have sought to quicken the pace of demobilization in order to keep costs in line with organizational capabilities.

    Academic text (1995)
  • To quicken the pace of her work, she started using a time management app.

  • They implemented new strategies to quicken the pace of construction on the new bridge.

Synonyms

to hurry up
vsto quicken the pace
  • Informal
637 1.0

To move or act more quickly to avoid being late

implies adding urgency and faster progress beyond simple haste
to move it
vsto quicken the pace
  • Informal
512 6.7

To hurry so you do something faster, often to avoid being late

is the broader idea of increasing speed or urgency overall
to rush
vsto quicken the pace
403 1.0

To make a person or thing move quickly

stresses speeding progress and increasing the activity's urgency
to accelerate
vsto quicken the pace
  • Specialized
331 3.7

To move faster or make something happen faster

also stresses acting sooner, not only raising speed
to speed
vsto quicken the pace
191 1.0

To make something move or happen faster

puts more weight on urgency and continued progress
to speed up
vsto quicken the pace
161 2.5

To make something move or happen faster

adds a sense of urgency or faster progress overall
to hurry
vsto quicken the pace
97 1.0

To make someone move or work faster than they want

is centered on raising speed and urgency of an activity
to step up
vsto quicken the pace
74 3.4

Make something greater in amount, speed or strength

is narrower, mainly about speeding progress or urgency
to expedite
vsto quicken the pace
  • Formal
45 6.5

To make something happen faster and easier

focuses more on urgency and faster ongoing progress
to pick up the pace
vsto quicken the pace
23 4.0

To move or work faster

leans more toward creating urgency in the activity
to quicken
vsto quicken the pace
12 4.1

To move or happen faster

focuses on adding urgency as well as speed
to hasten
vsto quicken the pace
12 4.6

Make something happen sooner

adds pressure to speed up ongoing activity as well
to make it snappy
vsto quicken the pace
  • Informal
10 7.7

To tell someone to hurry

expresses the same need to speed up actions, not just command tone
to gain speed
vsto quicken the pace
3 2.5

To start moving faster

adds a push toward faster progress or greater urgency
to get one's ass in gear
vsto quicken the pace
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Start working quickly and with more energy

keeps the speed and urgency aim but in neutral language
to spurt
vsto quicken the pace
1 3.5

To move or act suddenly with more speed for a short time

refers to steady speeding or growing urgency, not brief bursts
to go into high gear
vsto quicken the pace
1 4.4

To start working faster and harder

is about speeding progress rather than only increasing intensity
to hit the accelerator
vsto quicken the pace
  • Informal
1 4.4

To try harder or work faster to reach a goal

is the general idea of moving or progressing more quickly
to rev up
vsto quicken the pace
  • Informal
1 4.6

To make something faster or more active

is more about pressing for quicker progress overall
to accel
vsto quicken the pace
  • Informal
9.1

To make something happen faster

is the neutral idea of faster movement or increased urgency

Antonyms

687 1.4

To move or act more slowly

8 2.7

Move or make something move less quickly

How Fast

to rush
548 1.0
to accelerate
  • Specialized
331 3.7
to quicken the pace
1 3.9
to speed up
161 2.5

Surface Forms

quicken the pace infinitive
quickened the pace past participle
quickening the pace present participle
quickens the pace third person singular

Morphology

quicken + the + pace

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'quicken' (make faster) + 'pace' (speed/rate); the determiner 'the' does not change the semantic relationship. This is a regular verb + noun collocation following common cross-linguistic patterns (e.g., 'accelerate the pace'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should understand it.

Etymology

The phrase quicken the pace comes from the image of someone making their steps faster so they can get somewhere sooner. They quicken their pace by taking quicker steps, and that's why it means 'to move or work faster'.