speed

speed¹ W1S2 [spi:d] n

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1¦(of movement)¦

2¦(of action)¦

3¦(fast)¦

4¦(photography)¦

5¦(drug)¦

6 five-speed/ten-speed etc

7 up to speed

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[: Old English; Origin: sped 'success, quickness']

1.) ¦(OF MOVEMENT)¦ [U and C]

the rate at which something moves or travels

▪ The truck was travelling at a speed of 50 mph.

▪ Extreme care is always needed when flying at high speeds .

▪ Beat the mixture for two minutes at low speed .

▪ They drove to the hospital at top speed .

▪ They chased each other through the streets at breakneck speed .

▪ particles that travel at the speed of light

▪ The speed limit in urban areas is usually 30 or 40 mph.

▪ The average wind speed at Stornoway is 14.4 knots.

2.) ¦(OF ACTION)¦ [U and C]

the rate at which something happens or is done

speed of

▪ the speed of change within the industry

▪ a high-speed computer

▪ At that time, cities were growing at breakneck speed (=very fast) .

3.) ¦(FAST)¦[U]

the quality of being fast

▪ The women's basketball team has talent, speed, and power.

with speed

▪ She acted with speed and efficiency.

at speed BrE

▪ a van travelling at speed

pick up/gather speed

(=gradually start to travel faster)

▪ The train began to pick up speed.

4.) ¦(PHOTOGRAPHY)¦

a) the degree to which photographic film is sensitive to light

b) the time it takes for a camera ↑shutter to open and close

▪ a shutter speed of 1/250 second

5.) ¦(DRUG)¦[U] informal

an illegal drug that makes you very active

= ↑amphetamine

6.) five-speed/ten-speed etc

having five, ten etc ↑gears

▪ a ten-speed bike

7.) up to speed

having the latest information or knowledge about something

▪ Some school officials are only now getting up to speed regarding computers.

▪ John will bring you up to speed (=tell you the latest information) .

→full speed/steam ahead at ↑full¹ (18)

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

(at) a speed of 60 mph/80 kmph etc

at high/low speed(s)

at great speed

at top/full speed (=as fast as possible)

at lightning speed (=very fast)

at breakneck speed (=dangerously fast)

at the speed of light

speed limit/restriction

wind speed

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speed ²

speed² S3 v past tense and past participle sped [sped] also speeded

1.) [I always + adverb/preposition]

to go quickly

▪ The car sped along the dusty highway.

2.) [T always + adverb/preposition]

to take someone or something somewhere very quickly

▪ An ambulance sped her to the hospital.

3.) be speeding

to be driving faster than the legal limit

▪ I got caught speeding on the A40 yesterday.

4.) also speed sth<=>up [T]

to make something happen faster

≠ ↑slow down

▪ This news should speed his recovery.

speed by phr v

if time speeds by, it seems to pass very quickly

▪ The weeks sped by and soon it was time to go back to school.

speed up phr v

to move or happen faster, or to make something move or happen faster

≠ ↑slow down

▪ The truck speeded up going down the hill.

speed sth<=> up

▪ The new system will speed up the registration process.