What does sped mean?
Sped is the past tense and past participle of speed. Literally, it describes movement at a high rate: a vehicle may speed through a junction, or a runner may speed across a field. It can also be transitive, as in “the company sped the launch,” meaning that it caused something to happen more quickly. Figuratively, the verb often appears in the phrase “sped up,” referring to the acceleration of a process, such as economic growth, production, or research. Although sped can sound literary in descriptions of physical movement, its figurative use is common in formal writing, journalism, business, and everyday speech. It is usually followed by “up” when the intended meaning is to make a process happen faster.
verbTo move, or cause something to move, at a high speed. It is the past tense and past participle of speed.
- To move at a high speed.
- To cause something to move or operate more quickly.
- To become or make something more developed, successful, or urgent; for example, a process can be sped up.
"The train sped through the station without stopping."
"The car sped along the empty road."
"The team sped up its preparations for the competition."
The word sped can mean not only that something moved quickly, but also that someone deliberately made it happen faster.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sped come from?
Sped is formed from the older English word speed by changing its ending to form the past tense and past participle. The modern sense of moving or proceeding rapidly developed alongside the use of “speed up,” meaning to accelerate a process. Related forms include speed, speedy, speedily, and speedometer, all sharing the same English lexical root.
How sped is actually used
In its literal sense, this word is formal or literary, although it is common in journalism and descriptions of fast movement. In figurative uses, especially “sped up,” it is widely used in everyday English.