1 A2 neutral
to move, happen, or be done more quickly
"The bus sped up as it left the town center."
both
speed up
A2 neutral both transitive/intransitive
to go faster or make something happen faster
In plain English
to move or happen more quickly
What does "speed up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
to make a process or activity happen more quickly
"We need to speed up the hiring process before summer."
both
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
to increase speed upward
Actually means
to move or happen more quickly
Usage tip
Extremely common in daily speech for movement, work, processes, and technology. Both literal and figurative uses are frequent.
Words that pair with "speed up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
process production car traffic recovery work
How to conjugate "speed up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
speed up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
speeds up
he/she/it
Past simple
speeded up
yesterday
Past participle
speeded up
have + pp
-ing form
speeding up
continuous
Hear "speed up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "speed up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "speed up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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