From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgather speed/force/momentum etcgather speed/force/momentum etcINCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNTto move faster, become stronger, get more support etc The cart gathered speed as it coasted down the hill. The international relief effort appears to be gathering momentum. → gather
Examples from the Corpus
gather speed/force/momentum etc• I said as the train gathered speed.• I waited for it to gather momentum.• The strikes continue to gather momentum.• Voucher trouble Shopworkers' union Usdaw has threatened to boycott the government's voucher system for asylum seekers as protests gather momentum.• Then the van rolls forward, gathers speed, and drifts on by.• The big trimotor gathered speed and roared off down the harbor for more than a mile but never got close to liftoff.• She lifted it over the fence and set off across the little meadow, gathering speed and thoroughly enjoying it.• These Christians were slow to gather forces for a Reconquista. 