velocity

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Speed

Nouns

1. velocity, speed, celerity, swiftness, rapidity, expedition (see haste); acceleration; hurry, spurt, rush, dash; smart, lively, swift, or spanking pace; flying, flight; gallop, canter, trot, run, scamper; race, horserace, steeplechase; sweepstakes, Derby; handicap; foot race, marathon, relay race. See haste, motion.

2. (something rapid) lightning, light, electricity, wind; cannonball, rocket, arrow, dart, quicksilver; whirlwind; telegraph, express train; torrent; hustler; eagle, antelope, courser, racehorse, gazelle, cheetah, greyhound, hare, deer, doe, jackrabbit, squirrel; jockey.

Verbs

1. speed, hasten, post, scuttle; scud, scour, scoot, scamper; run, fly, race, cut away, shoot, tear, whisk, sweep, whiz, skim, brush; bowl along; rush, dash, bolt; trot, gallop, bound, flit, spring, charge, dart; march in double time; ride hard, cover the ground. Informal, cut along, step along, step lively, zip, cut and run, make it snappy, cover ground, burn up the road, drive like Jehu. Slang, go all out, go hell-bent for election, go like a bat out of hell; watch one's dust or smoke; skedaddle; go hell-for-leather, burn up the road; hightail it, make tracks, lay rubber.

2. hurry, hasten (see haste); accelerate, quicken, step up; wing one's way; spur on; crowd on sail; gain ground; show a clean pair of heels; overtake, overhaul, outstrip. Slang, stir one's stumps, step on the gas, give her the gun, boot home, lay rubber, sandbag, streak.

Adjectives — fast, speedy, swift, rapid, quick, fleet; nimble, agile, expeditious, express; meteoric, breakneck, fast and furious; flying, galloping, light- or nimble-footed; winged, mercurial, electric, telegraphic; light of heel; swift as an arrow; quick as lightning or thought. Informal, flat-out.

Adverbs — swiftly, apace; at a great rate, at full speed, full tilt, posthaste; all sails crowding, heeling over, full steam ahead; trippingly; instantaneously; in seven league boots; with whip and spur; as fast as one's legs will carry one; at top speed, on the wings of the wind; by leaps and bounds. Informal, on the double, at a fast clip, like mad, like sixty, like all possessed, like greased lightning, to beat the band, like a [blue] streak, hell for leather, like wildfire. Slang, PDQ, lickety-split, like a bat out of hell; jet-propelled.

Phrases — the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.

Quotations — True hope is swift and flies with swallow's wings (Shakespeare).

Antonyms, see slowness.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. quickness, swiftness, celerity, rapidity, impetus, escape velocity, exhaust velocity; see also speed .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

speed, rate of speed, pace, quickness, swiftness, fleetness, rapidity, celerity, miles per hour, revolutions per minute, rate.

WORD FIND

• measuring device: tachometer

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun Rate of motion or performance: pace, speed, tempo. Informal: clip1. See FAST.