to speed up
161
2.5
- phrasal verb
- /spiːd ʌp/
:
acelerar
- I think that would just speed up research by a ton.
- speed up the process
- speed up the pace
- gradually speed up
You don't want to try to speed up the process.
- You don't want to try to speed up the process.
- You've probably heard that as objects speed up, time slows down for them.
- These are drinks that are supposed to help speed up detoxing.
- So what retinol does kind of speeds up your cell turnover.
- And basically it's just, it's speeding up our decision making process.
- A quantum computer can much speed up this process.
- So while inhales speed up the heart, that's the net effect.
Examples
-
Is there anything that can speed up recovery?
-
These are drinks that are supposed to help speed up detoxing.
-
Looks like we're gonna have to speed things up a bit.
-
We'll have to speed things up.
-
Can we speed it up?
-
"Is there nothing that can be done to speed up the process?" she asked.
Fiction book (1992) -
I am today committing half a billion pounds to speed up its introduction.
-
If they could just speed things up a bit, I wouldn't mind so much.
Fiction book (1991) -
The pressure forced Aureole to speed up its plans for a consolidated district.
Fiction book (1993) -
The new software update will speed up the computer's performance significantly.
Synonyms
637
1.0
To move or act more quickly to avoid being late
512
6.7
To hurry so you do something faster, often to avoid being late
331
3.7
To move faster or make something happen faster
191
1.0
To make something move or happen faster
97
1.0
To make someone move or work faster than they want
74
3.4
Make something greater in amount, speed or strength
47
4.1
To increase something, especially its amount or speed
45
6.5
To make something happen faster and easier
23
4.0
To move or work faster
12
4.6
Make something happen sooner
12
4.1
To move or happen faster
9
3.7
To press the pedal in a car to make it go faster or hurry to finish something
8
3.6
Press the car pedal to make it go faster
3
2.5
To start moving faster
1
4.4
To try harder or work faster to reach a goal
1
4.4
To start working faster and harder
1
4.6
To make something faster or more active
1
3.9
Move or work faster to finish sooner
To make something happen faster
Antonyms
How Fast
91
1.0
- Specialized
331
3.7
161
2.5
∞
1.0
12
4.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to increase speed' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'speed' (to accelerate) with the particle 'up' (indicating increase or intensification). This verb+particle composition is a common, predictable pattern in English (and in many other languages via equivalent constructions), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Speed up comes from a simple image: you make something go faster, so speed goes up on the speedometer when you press the gas. So it means 'to move or make something move faster'.