Pace: English Vocabulary List

moving or happening at an extremely dangerous or fast speed

"He drove at breakneck speed."

"The driver took the corner at breakneck speed and nearly crashed into a tree but he managed to regain control of the car."

quick and light in movement or action

"The nimble dancer moved."

"The nimble cat jumped from the fence to the roof without making any noise and the birds did not even see her coming."

happening at a swift pace

"They finished lickety-split."

"The children cleaned their rooms lickety-split because they wanted to go to the movies with their friends and did not want to be late."

having a speed greater than that of sound

"The plane flew supersonic."

"The supersonic jet can travel faster than the speed of sound and it crosses the Atlantic Ocean in just three hours."

done very quickly without wasting time or resources

"We need an expeditious reply."

"The lawyer handled the case in an expeditious manner and the client was pleased that the matter was resolved within two weeks."

at the maximum speed

"The car drove flat out."

"He ran flat out to catch the bus but it was too late and the doors closed right in his face."

intentionally delaying or slow to act

"His dilatory response annoyed."

"The student's dilatory behavior caused him to miss the deadline for his paper and his professor refused to accept the late assignment."

moving in a slow, effortless, and attractive manner

"The cat stretched languid."

"The hot summer afternoon made everyone feel languid and they lay on the couches fanning themselves instead of going outside to play."

moving or progressing slowly and with great effort

"Their plodding progress frustrated."

"The plodding pace of the old horse frustrated the young rider who wanted to gallop across the field at full speed."

sluggish or falling behind in progress, development, or pace compared to others

"The laggard student struggled."

"The laggard student was always behind in his work and he had to stay after school every day to catch up with his classmates."

to surpass, exceed, or move faster than someone or something

"The runner will outpace them."

"The young runner managed to outpace all of his competitors and win the gold medal at the championship race."

to speed up or facilitate the progress of an action or task

"We need to expedite the shipping process."

"We need to expedite the shipping process if we want the products to arrive before Christmas next week."

done with speed or efficiency

"An express delivery arrived."

"The express train makes only three stops between the two cities so the journey takes half the time of the local service."

moving or progressing at an extremely high speed

"The runner achieved blistering pace."

"The sprinter achieved a blistering pace, leaving all other competitors far behind in the race."

moving or happening extremely quickly

"The answer was lightning."

"The computer made lightning calculations that would have taken a human mathematician weeks to complete by hand with paper and pencil."

moving in a slow, effortless, and attractive manner

"Her movement is languid."

"The languid movements of the cat showed that it was relaxed and comfortable and it stretched slowly before curling up for a nap."

to reduce in speed

"They slacken their pace."

"You should never slacken your pace during a marathon or you might not be able to finish the race at all."