speed (speeds plural & 3rd person present) (speeding present participle) (sped past tense & past participle) (speeded past tense & past participle )
The form of the past tense and past participle is sped in meaning 5 but speeded for the phrasal verb.
1 n-var The speed of something is the rate at which it moves or travels.
with supp
He drove off at high speed..., With this type of camera, the shutter speed is fixed..., An electrical pulse in a wire travels close to the speed of light..., Wind speeds reached force five.
2 n-count The speed of something is the rate at which it happens or is done.
with supp
(=pace)
In the late 1850s the speed of technological change quickened..., Each learner can proceed at his own speed.
3 n-uncount Speed is very fast movement or travel.
Speed is the essential ingredient of all athletics..., He put on a burst of speed..., The car is quite noisy at speed.
4 n-uncount Speed is a very fast rate at which something happens or is done.
usu N of n/-ing
I was amazed at his speed of working., ...the sheer speed of the unification process.
5 verb If you speed somewhere, you move or travel there quickly, usually in a vehicle.
(=race)
Trains will speed through the Channel Tunnel at 186mph... V prep/adv
The engine noise rises only slightly as I speed along. V prep/adv
6 verb Someone who is speeding is driving a vehicle faster than the legal speed limit.
usu cont
This man was not qualified to drive and was speeding. V
speeding n-uncount
He was fined for speeding last year.
7 n-uncount Speed is an illegal drug such as amphetamine which some people take to increase their energy and excitement.
INFORMAL
9
→
to pick up speed
→
pick
10 If you are up to speed, you have all the most recent information that you need about something.
up to speed phrase oft PHR on n
A day has been set aside to bring all councillors up to speed on the proposal..., Those in charge deluded themselves they were up to speed. speed up
1 phrasal verb When something speeds up or when you speed it up, it moves or travels faster.
You notice that your breathing has speeded up a bit... V P
He pushed a lever that speeded up the car. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
2 phrasal verb When a process or activity speeds up or when something speeds it up, it happens at a faster rate. Job losses are speeding up... V P I had already taken steps to speed up a solution to the problem... V P n (not pron) I kept praying that the DJ would speed the music up. V n P
-speed
-speed is used after numbers to form adjectives that indicate that a bicycle or car has a particular number of gears. comb in adj
...a 10-speed bicycle.
speed camera (speed cameras plural )A speed camera is a camera positioned at the side of a road which automatically photographs vehicles that are going faster than is allowed. The photographs can be used as evidence in a court of law. n-count
speed dial (speed dials plural )Speed dial is a facility on a telephone that allows you to call a number by pressing a single button rather than by dialling the full number. n-var
speed limit (speed limits plural )The speed limit on a road is the maximum speed at which you are legally allowed to drive. n-count usu the N
