Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - speed up

1. 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... He pushed a lever that speeded up the car. PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n (not pron), also V n P 2. When a process or activity speeds up or when something speeds it up, it happens at a faster rate. Job losses are speeding up... I had already taken steps to speed up a solution to the problem... I kept praying that the DJ would speed the music up. PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n (not pron), V n P