low speed

low speed — noun

1. a rate of movement or operation that is slower than the usual or normal pace, of

1.nounB1
Definition

a rate of movement or operation that is slower than the usual or normal pace, often deliberately chosen for safety, comfort, or precision.

Example

Asher drove at low speed through the narrow village streets to avoid potholes.

collocation: at low speed

The fan runs at low speed at night to keep the noise down.

Common collocations
  • at low speed
  • at a low speed
  • low-speed collision
  • low-speed chase
  • low-speed setting
  • low-speed mode
  • low-speed fan
  • travel at low speed
  • run at low speed
  • keep to low speed
Synonyms
  • slow pace

    more commonly used for walking or running speed; less technical than 'low speed'

  • reduced speed

    slightly more formal; implies a deliberate lowering from a higher speed

  • crawl

    informal; suggests extremely slow movement, often due to traffic or crowds

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

at + low speed

low speed + noun

at a low speed

Usage Note

Typically used after the preposition at — i.e. at low speed or at a low speed. Often describes vehicles, machines, fans, and settings or dials on appliances.

Common Mistakes

Please drive with low speed on this road.
Please drive at low speed on this road.
The correct preposition with 'speed' is 'at', not 'with'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Low speed is the most neutral term, used broadly for vehicles, machines, and settings. Slow pace overlaps in meaning but is more common with human movement (walking, jogging) or the progression of an event rather than machinery. Reduced speed is more formal and suggests a deliberate decrease from a higher speed, often in regulated contexts like construction zones. Crawl is informal and suggests movement that is frustratingly slow, as in 'traffic slowed to a crawl.' In everyday speech, 'low speed' is typically used with the preposition at (drive at low speed), while 'slow pace' works with at or in (at a slow pace / in slow pace).

low speed ↗slow pacereduced speedcrawl ↗

Etymology

Old NorseOld EnglishEnglish

The compound 'low speed' combines Old Norse-derived 'low' (meaning not high, from lágr) with Old English 'speed' (spēd, meaning success or swiftness). The pairing became common in the 19th century with the rise of industrial machinery, where settings and gears were described by their rate of operation.