picking up steam
Building up speed
Picking up steam means gaining momentum or accelerating progress.
The phrase comes from steam engines, which required time to build pressure before reaching full power.
Now it applies to any process that starts slowly then intensifies: The campaign was picking up steam in the final weeks.
A project, movement, or idea picks up steam as it gains support or energy.
- increasingBecoming greater in amount
- on the riseBecoming greater or more
- surgeSudden powerful increase
- gaining tractionBecoming more popular
- driveOperate a vehicle
building momentum · progress · moving forward · snowballing · snowball effect · expansion · breakthrough · propulsion · forward motion · advancement · flourishing · boom · escalation · traction · ignition · chug · rumble · engine
- momentumbuilding momentum, gain traction, gaining traction, snowball effect, chain reaction
- progressprogress, in progress, promotion, raise, making progress
picking up steamlosing steam
Declining in energy or force
stalling out · grinding to a halt · slowing down · petering out · winding down
picking up steamdying down
Decreasing in force
running out of gas · flagging · fading · languishing · ebbing
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