Meaning & use
expediting
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“expediting” is a form of “expedite”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
Making a process, decision or task happen faster or more smoothly.
Grammar: Takes an object: expediting the application, not expediting up.
Patterns
- expediting something
- expediting the process of something
The agency is expediting the visa applications for medical workers.
Expediting the repairs will keep the school open this winter.
We are expediting the review so a decision can be made today.
verbtransitive or intransitivebusiness
In business or manufacturing, tracking orders and chasing suppliers to be sure goods arrive on time.
Grammar: Used as a job activity: expediting orders, or the person is an expediter.
Patterns
- expediting orders
- expediting shipments
She spends the morning expediting late shipments from the supplier.
Expediting parts for the assembly line is her main task.
The buyer was expediting before the holiday rush.
verbtransitive or intransitivespecialist
In a restaurant, coordinating the kitchen and the dining room so dishes leave together and on time.
Grammar: Often used without an object: he is expediting tonight.
Patterns
- expediting the pass
The head chef was expediting at the pass all evening.
Expediting orders keeps every table's food hot and ready together.
She was expediting while the new cook learned the menu.
Common combinations
- expediting the process
- A new form is expediting the process for everyone.
- expediting orders
- The clerk is expediting orders for the holiday season.
- expediting a request
- He is expediting your request this afternoon.
- expediting shipments
- We are expediting shipments to the flood area.
- expediting the delivery
- Expediting the delivery cost extra.
Synonyms and how they differ
- speeding up
- Speeding up is the plain everyday phrase and fits any activity, whereas expediting is formal and suggests removing obstacles in a process.
- accelerating
- Accelerating suggests increasing the pace of something already in motion, while expediting often means making an official step happen sooner.
- hastening
- Hastening is literary and suggests causing something to happen sooner, with less emphasis on handling the paperwork or steps.
- facilitating
- Facilitating means making something easier, not necessarily faster, so it is weaker than expediting.
Opposites
Word family
- expedite verb
- base form
- expedited adjective
- done faster than usual
- expeditious adjective
- quick and efficient
- expediter noun
- a person who speeds up orders
- expedient adjective
- convenient and practical, though not always fair
Commonly confused: expediting or expedient? expediting or expedition?
expediting vs expedient
Expedient describes an action that is convenient or advantageous, sometimes at the cost of principle; expediting is the act of making something go faster.
expediting vs expedition
An expedition is a journey for a purpose, such as exploring, and is not the noun for the act of speeding things up.
Practice
Which sentence uses expediting with its business meaning?
Choose one answer.
Expediting a shipment means making sure it arrives sooner. The other sentences use the verb with objects that cannot be sped up or that make no sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “expediting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.