Expedite (verb)  = to make a process or action happen more quickly; to speed up the completion of something; to remove obstacles so something can proceed faster.

Imagine you’re stuck in a long queue at the airport, but then an official comes over, checks your documents, and moves you straight to the front. Your journey has been expedited. The word captures the idea of cutting through delays and making things happen faster than the normal pace would allow.

MEANING 1: Speed Up a Process (Verb) — VERY COMMON

The core meaning is to accelerate something that would otherwise take longer. You expedite paperwork, applications, deliveries, orders, or any procedure that has stages and potential delays. Companies expedite shipping for impatient customers. Governments expedite visa applications in urgent cases. Hospitals expedite treatment for critical patients.

The key is that expediting involves active intervention — not just waiting for things to happen naturally, but taking steps to make them happen sooner. Someone with authority or resources is pushing things through.

MEANING 2: Facilitate or Make Easier (Verb)

In a broader sense, expedite can mean to help something proceed smoothly by removing obstacles. “Good planning expedites the construction process.” Here, the focus is less on raw speed and more on eliminating friction and delays. Making things run efficiently is a form of expediting.

THE FORMAL REGISTER:

Unlike casual words like “speed up” or “hurry along,” expedite belongs to formal, professional, and administrative language. You’ll hear it in business meetings, legal documents, government offices, and corporate emails. Using it in casual conversation would sound oddly stiff — you wouldn’t say “Can you expedite making dinner?” You’d say, “Can you hurry up with dinner?”

Examples from the street:

• “We paid extra to expedite the delivery.” → We spent more money to get the package faster than standard shipping
• “Is there any way to expedite this process?” → Can anything be done to make this go faster? I’m in a hurry
• “The manager expedited our request.” → The boss pushed our application through quickly, skipping the usual delays

2. Most Common Patterns

Expedite as speeding up (verb):

• expedite + noun (process) → speed up a procedure (expedite the application, expedite the order)
• expedite + noun (delivery/shipping) → arrange faster transport
• expedite the process/procedure → make an administrative system work faster
• expedite matters → speed things up generally
• help (to) expedite → assist in making something faster

Common collocations:

• expedite + approval/review/processing → speed up official evaluation
• expedite + request/claim/application → push paperwork through faster
• expedite + payment/transfer/transaction → make financial processes quicker
• in order to expedite → formal phrase introducing the purpose of speeding up

Expedited as an adjective (past participle):

• expedited + noun → describes a faster version of something (expedited shipping, expedited service, expedited review)
• on an expedited basis → handled more quickly than usual (formal)

3. Phrasal Verbs

Note: “Expedite” doesn’t form phrasal verbs — these are related expressions:

• speed up → make something happen faster; casual alternative to expedite
  Example: “Can we speed up the approval process? The client is getting impatient.”
• push through → force something to be completed quickly, often overcoming resistance
  Example: “The director pushed through the budget approval before the deadline.”
• fast-track → give priority treatment to accelerate progress
  Example: “Her application was fast-tracked because of her exceptional qualifications.”
• hurry along → encourage something or someone to move faster (informal)
  Example: “I called the office to hurry along my passport renewal.”

4. Example Sentences

1. We paid an extra £30 to expedite the delivery and receive the package within 24 hours
   → We spent an additional thirty pounds to speed up the shipping and get the parcel by the next day.
2. The lawyer promised to expedite the paperwork so we could complete the sale quickly
   → The solicitor assured us she would push the documents through rapidly so we could finalise the purchase soon.
3. Due to the emergency, the hospital expedited all necessary tests
   → Because of the urgent situation, the medical facility rushed through all required examinations.
4. Is there anything I can do to expedite the approval process?
   → Is there any action I can take to make the authorisation procedure go faster?
5. The embassy offers expedited visa services for an additional fee
   → The diplomatic office provides faster travel document processing if you pay extra.
6. Hiring more staff would help expedite the backlog of orders
   → Employing additional workers would assist in clearing the accumulated requests more quickly.
7. The CEO personally intervened to expedite matters
   → The chief executive got directly involved to speed things up.
8. Your urgent request will be handled on an expedited basis
   → Your pressing enquiry will be dealt with as a priority, faster than normal.
9. Clear communication between departments expedites the entire production process
   → Effective dialogue between teams accelerates the whole manufacturing operation.
10. We need to expedite this project — the deadline has been moved forward
    → We must accelerate this work — the completion date has been brought closer.

5. Personal Examples

1. Learning common collocations and fixed expressions can expedite a student’s journey to fluency — instead of building every sentence word by word, they can use ready-made chunks
   → Acquiring frequent word partnerships and set phrases can accelerate a learner’s path to natural communication — rather than constructing each utterance piece by piece, they can deploy pre-formed language blocks.
2. I sometimes expedite feedback on writing assignments when students have upcoming exams — they need to see their mistakes while there’s still time to improve
   → I occasionally speed up my responses on written work when learners have approaching tests — they must recognise their errors while opportunities to develop still exist.

6. Register: Formal

✔ Native usage tips

• “Expedite” is distinctly formal — it belongs to business, legal, medical, and administrative English. In casual conversation, native speakers almost always say “speed up,” “hurry along,” or “fast-track” instead
• “Expedited shipping” is extremely common in online shopping — it’s the standard term for paying extra to receive items faster than the default delivery time
• Using “expedite” signals professionalism — in emails to clients, official letters, or business proposals, it sounds polished and competent. “We will expedite your request” is more impressive than “We’ll try to hurry things along.”
• “Expedite” often implies authority or resources — you can only expedite something if you have the power or money to make it happen. A customer can ask to expedite; the company decides whether to do it
• “Expediter” or “expeditor” is a job title in some industries — particularly restaurants (coordinating orders between kitchen and servers) and manufacturing (ensuring materials and parts arrive on time). Both spellings are acceptable
• Don’t overuse “expedite” — in informal contexts, it sounds pretentious or bureaucratic. A parent wouldn’t say “Please expedite your homework” — they’d say “Hurry up and finish your homework.”

✔ Similar expressions/words

• Accelerate → similar but broader; can apply to physical speed as well as processes; equally formal
• Fast-track → similar but emphasises giving priority treatment; often implies skipping normal stages; can be a verb or a noun
• Hasten → similar and also formal; slightly old-fashioned; often used with abstract nouns (hasten the end, hasten recovery)