Idioms are like secret codes in the English language that make conversations more exciting and expressive. When we want to describe things happening quickly, we don’t always have to say “fast” or “quick”—instead, we can use clever phrases that capture the feeling of speed in fun and creative ways. These expressions can make our speech more vivid, playful, and memorable.
Understanding idioms about speed is especially helpful for students, professionals, or anyone who wants to sound more fluent and natural in English. Whether you’re talking about someone moving too fast, working at lightning pace, or hurrying through a task, these idioms give you colorful ways to say it. In this blog post, we’ll explore 47 popular idioms related to speed. Each one includes its meaning, a sample sentence, and other ways to say the same thing—making it easy and fun to learn and use.
Let’s jump right into these speedy expressions!
Idioms for Speed
1. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Something that happens extremely quickly.
In a Sentence: The car sped past us in the blink of an eye, and we barely saw it.
Other Ways to Say: In an instant, In a flash
2. Quick as a flash
Meaning: Very fast and sudden.
In a Sentence: She solved the puzzle quick as a flash and impressed everyone in the room.
Other Ways to Say: Super fast, Like lightning
3. At the drop of a hat
Meaning: Doing something immediately without hesitation.
In a Sentence: He’s always ready to help at the drop of a hat, no matter how busy he is.
Other Ways to Say: Instantly, Without delay
4. Lightning fast
Meaning: Extremely fast, like a bolt of lightning.
In a Sentence: Her fingers moved lightning fast across the keyboard during the typing test.
Other Ways to Say: Very quickly, Ultra fast
5. Faster than you can say Jack Robinson
Meaning: Happens so quickly that it’s almost surprising.
In a Sentence: He disappeared faster than you can say Jack Robinson when it started raining.
Other Ways to Say: In no time, Before you notice
6. Like greased lightning
Meaning: Very fast-moving, almost uncontrollably fast.
In a Sentence: The squirrel darted across the road like greased lightning.
Other Ways to Say: Zooming, Rapidly
7. In no time flat
Meaning: Happening in a very short amount of time.
In a Sentence: We cleaned the entire kitchen in no time flat once we worked together.
Other Ways to Say: Quickly done, Super fast
8. Make a beeline for
Meaning: To go straight toward something quickly and directly.
In a Sentence: When the doors opened, the shoppers made a beeline for the clearance rack.
Other Ways to Say: Head straight for, Rush to
9. Breakneck speed
Meaning: Extremely high and dangerous speed.
In a Sentence: The roller coaster raced down the track at breakneck speed, making everyone scream.
Other Ways to Say: Very fast, High-speed
10. Like a bat out of hell
Meaning: Moving wildly and very quickly, often in panic.
In a Sentence: He ran out of the house like a bat out of hell after seeing the spider.
Other Ways to Say: In a hurry, In a frenzy
11. Hit the ground running
Meaning: To start a task or activity quickly and with full energy.
In a Sentence: On her first day at the new job, she hit the ground running and impressed everyone with her speed and focus.
Other Ways to Say: Start strong, Begin quickly and effectively
12. Speed demon
Meaning: A person who drives or moves extremely fast.
In a Sentence: My brother is a real speed demon when he gets behind the wheel, always zooming past other cars on the highway.
Other Ways to Say: Fast driver, Daredevil on the road
13. In high gear
Meaning: Working very quickly or at full intensity.
In a Sentence: As the deadline approached, the whole team shifted into high gear to finish the project on time.
Other Ways to Say: At full speed, Working at full capacity
14. At a snail’s pace (Opposite idiom for contrast)
Meaning: Moving extremely slowly.
In a Sentence: Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace during the rush hour, and we were stuck for hours.
Other Ways to Say: Very slowly, Crawling along
15. Warp speed
Meaning: A fictional or humorous term for extremely fast movement.
In a Sentence: The kids cleaned their room at warp speed when they heard their grandma was on the way.
Other Ways to Say: Super fast, Ridiculously quick
16. In the fast lane
Meaning: Living life at a quick, active, and often exciting pace.
In a Sentence: Ever since he became a successful entrepreneur, he’s been living life in the fast lane.
Other Ways to Say: Fast-paced lifestyle, Busy and exciting life
17. Move like a shot
Meaning: To move very quickly, as if fired from a gun.
In a Sentence: When she heard her name being called, she moved like a shot toward the stage.
Other Ways to Say: Rush over, Sprint
18. On the double
Meaning: Right away; without any delay.
In a Sentence: The coach told us to get to the field on the double or risk missing warm-up.
Other Ways to Say: Immediately, At once
19. Get a move on
Meaning: To start moving faster or hurry up.
In a Sentence: We need to get a move on if we want to catch the beginning of the movie.
Other Ways to Say: Hurry up, Let’s go faster
20. In record time
Meaning: Faster than has ever been done before.
In a Sentence: She solved the entire puzzle in record time and amazed the whole class.
Other Ways to Say: Very quickly, Faster than ever
21. As fast as your legs can carry you
Meaning: Running or moving as quickly as physically possible.
In a Sentence: When the alarm went off, the students ran out of the building as fast as their legs could carry them.
Other Ways to Say: Run quickly, Dash away
22. Rush against the clock
Meaning: To hurry to complete something before a deadline.
In a Sentence: We were rushing against the clock to finish our science project before the final bell.
Other Ways to Say: Beat the deadline, Work under pressure
23. Make time fly
Meaning: When time seems to pass quickly, often because you are enjoying yourself.
In a Sentence: Playing board games with my cousins always makes time fly on the weekends.
Other Ways to Say: Time passes quickly, Hours slip by
24. Zoom by
Meaning: To move past quickly, usually while barely being noticed.
In a Sentence: The sports car zoomed by so fast that I couldn’t even read the license plate.
Other Ways to Say: Whiz past, Speed by
25. Fast track something
Meaning: To speed up a process or make something happen sooner than planned.
In a Sentence: The company decided to fast-track the product launch due to high demand.
Other Ways to Say: Accelerate, Expedite
26. Fly like the wind
Meaning: To move very fast, often used when describing running or driving.
In a Sentence: She flew like the wind during the final stretch of the race and came in first.
Other Ways to Say: Sprint, Race ahead
27. In a heartbeat
Meaning: Very quickly and without hesitation.
In a Sentence: I’d help my best friend move in a heartbeat if she needed me.
Other Ways to Say: Without thinking twice, Instantly
28. Rapid-fire
Meaning: Happening quickly one after the other, especially speech or events.
In a Sentence: He asked a series of rapid-fire questions that left us all speechless.
Other Ways to Say: Fast-paced, One after another
29. Burning rubber
Meaning: Driving or moving away very quickly, often with squealing tires.
In a Sentence: The car peeled out of the parking lot, burning rubber as it sped off.
Other Ways to Say: Zoom off, Drive away quickly
30. Run like the wind
Meaning: To run extremely fast, often in a competitive or urgent context.
In a Sentence: The athlete ran like the wind during the championship and broke the school record.
Other Ways to Say: Sprint swiftly, Dash quickly
31. Like a shot
Meaning: Extremely fast and sudden movement.
In a Sentence: As soon as the bell rang, the kids were out of the classroom like a shot.
Other Ways to Say: Instantly, Very quickly
32. Hightail it
Meaning: To leave or move quickly, usually to avoid trouble or danger.
In a Sentence: When the rain started pouring, we hightailed it back to the car.
Other Ways to Say: Rush off, Flee quickly
33. As quick as a wink
Meaning: Very fast, often surprisingly so.
In a Sentence: He answered the question as quick as a wink and got full marks.
Other Ways to Say: In a flash, Before you know it
34. Up to speed
Meaning: Fully informed or operating at the usual or necessary level of efficiency.
In a Sentence: After a few training sessions, I was up to speed with how the new software worked.
Other Ways to Say: Caught up, Efficiently working
35. Step on it
Meaning: A command to go faster, especially while driving.
In a Sentence: We’re going to be late for the movie—step on it!
Other Ways to Say: Speed up, Hurry
36. Blow by
Meaning: To pass someone or something very quickly.
In a Sentence: The cyclist blew by us on the trail like we were standing still.
Other Ways to Say: Rush past, Move swiftly
37. Full throttle
Meaning: At maximum speed or effort.
In a Sentence: He tackled the final round of the competition at full throttle and gave it everything he had.
Other Ways to Say: Maximum effort, All-out speed
38. On a tear
Meaning: Moving very fast or being on a streak of high activity or success.
In a Sentence: She’s been on a tear lately, finishing three books in a single weekend.
Other Ways to Say: On a roll, Speeding through tasks
39. In a flash
Meaning: Happening or appearing very quickly.
In a Sentence: The magician made the coin disappear in a flash, leaving the crowd in awe.
Other Ways to Say: Instantly, In an instant
40. Run circles around
Meaning: To move faster or perform much better than someone else.
In a Sentence: Our new intern runs circles around the rest of the staff with her quick thinking and energy.
Other Ways to Say: Outpace, Outperform quickly
41. Move at a mile a minute
Meaning: To move or speak very quickly.
In a Sentence: He talks a mile a minute when he’s excited about something new.
Other Ways to Say: Speak rapidly, Go fast
42. In overdrive
Meaning: Operating at a very high level of activity or energy.
In a Sentence: As finals week approached, my brain went into overdrive trying to study everything.
Other Ways to Say: Working hard, Super active
43. Like wildfire
Meaning: Spreading or happening very quickly, especially news or trends.
In a Sentence: The video went viral and spread like wildfire across social media platforms.
Other Ways to Say: Spread fast, Go viral
44. In hot pursuit
Meaning: Following someone closely and quickly in order to catch them.
In a Sentence: The police were in hot pursuit of the speeding car down the highway.
Other Ways to Say: Chasing fast, On the tail
45. Like a rocket
Meaning: Moving or rising very quickly, especially in terms of growth or speed.
In a Sentence: Her popularity on the app took off like a rocket after she posted that dance video.
Other Ways to Say: Skyrocket, Zoom ahead
46. Whip through
Meaning: To complete or move through something quickly and efficiently.
In a Sentence: She whipped through her homework so she could go play outside before sunset.
Other Ways to Say: Finish fast, Speed through
47. Race against time
Meaning: To try to complete something before a deadline or before it’s too late.
In a Sentence: We were in a race against time to fix the project before the presentation started.
Other Ways to Say: Beat the clock, Work quickly under pressure
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct idiom:
- As soon as the class ended, the kids ran out of the room _______.
- The news about the new phone spread _______ online.
- I had to _______ my homework before dinner was ready.
- They’re trying to finish the project in a _______ against time.
- That little girl runs _______ the wind when she plays tag.
- My brain went into _______ while preparing for three exams in one week.
- He started answering questions _______ fire, barely letting us respond.
- The delivery guy moved _______ greased lightning to get all the orders out on time.
- When the thunder boomed, the cat _______ it under the couch.
- As soon as she heard her name, she moved _______ a shot toward the stage.
Answers:
like a shot, like wildfire, whip through, race, like, overdrive, rapid-, like, hightailed, like
Conclusion
Speed-related idioms aren’t just fun to say—they’re super useful in everyday conversation. They help you sound more fluent, describe fast actions or events more colorfully, and bring life to your words. Whether you’re racing to finish a project, zooming through a busy day, or just trying to keep up with life, these idioms give you the vocabulary to keep pace.
Try using these expressions when you talk with friends, write stories, or explain things that happen quickly. The more you practice, the more naturally they’ll become part of your speech. Language is a powerful tool, and when you add idioms to your toolbox, you make it even more dynamic and expressive. Now go out there—and don’t forget to hit the ground running!
