Upshifted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Moved a vehicle's transmission to a higher gear to increase speed or efficiency
2. Shifted a car's gear selector to achieve a faster driving speed
3. Engaged a higher driving gear in a vehicle to allow it to accelerate or maintain speed more smoothly

Etymology: "Upshifted" is simply "upshift" with the past-tense "-ed" added. "Upshift" is a compound of "up" and "shift," where "shift" in the sense of changing a gear dates to the early days of motor vehicles, when drivers manually moved levers to alter the gear ratio. The verb "to shift" in the sense of changing position or direction is far older, going back to Middle English, and the gearbox usage grew out of that general meaning. The pairing with "up" follows the same logic as "downshift," the opposite action of moving to a lower gear. Both terms describe motion along a sequence of gear positions, with "up" pointing toward higher gears and faster road speeds.

Synonyms: increased, elevated

Antonyms: downshifted, decreased