accompany
Americanverb (used with object)
-
accompanies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accompanied,
past participle, past
-
accompanying
present participle
-
to go along or in company with; join in action.
to accompany a friend on a walk.
-
to be or exist in association or company with.
Thunder accompanies lightning.
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to put in company with; cause to be or go along; associate (usually followed bywith ).
He accompanied his speech with gestures.
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Music. to play or sing an accompaniment to or for.
verb (used without object)
-
accompanies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accompanied,
past participle, past
-
accompanying
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to go along with, so as to be in company with or escort
-
to supplement
the food is accompanied with a very hot mango pickle
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(tr) to occur, coexist, or be associated with
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to provide a musical accompaniment for (a performer)
Synonym Usage
Accompany, attend, convoy, escort mean to go along with someone (or something). To accompany is to go along as an associate on equal terms: to accompany a friend on a shopping trip. Attend implies going along with, usually to render service or perform duties: to attend one's employer on a business trip. To convoy is to accompany (especially ships) with an armed guard for protection: to convoy a fleet of merchant vessels. To escort is to accompany in order to protect, guard, honor, or show courtesy: to escort a visiting dignitary.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accompanysimple
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accompaniessimple
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have accompaniedperfect
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has accompaniedperfect
-
am accompanyingprogressive
-
are accompanyingprogressive
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is accompanyingprogressive
-
have been accompanyingperfect progressive
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has been accompanyingperfect progressive
Past
-
accompaniedsimple
-
had accompaniedperfect
-
was accompanyingprogressive
-
were accompanyingprogressive
-
had been accompanyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accompany
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English accompanye, from Middle French accompagnier; see ac-, company
Explanation
The verb accompany means to keep someone company, or to be their companion on a trip or journey. In a musical sense, accompany means to play background music for the lead singer or soloist. If you want your friend to keep you company on your way to the store, you could ask her to accompany you on the walk. Or, if you want your friend to play piano while you sing a song, you could ask her to accompany you on piano. Just don’t ask her to do both at the same time or your friend may not want to accompany you anywhere any longer.
Vocabulary lists containing accompany
The Circuit
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"Tribute to the Dog," Vocabulary from the speech
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"Lob's Girl" by Joan Aiken
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Published in the journal Antiquity, the findings challenge the belief that greater inequality must accompany economic growth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
Four of these so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft will accompany a manned fighter to massively increase firepower but at just 20% of the cost of a piloted aircraft.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He insists he is not weighted down by the external expectations that accompany his contract.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The company is looking to spice up some of its products to counter changes in taste that can accompany weight-loss drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“And is this lady your employer? How kind of her to accompany you to the CAKE.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Less than 72 hours later, she startled fans by announcing plans to step away from the spotlight—and the “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” that accompanies it—after wrapping her current tour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Church authorities note the baby Jesus isn’t presented as a talisman, but as Christ who also accompanies his people in cultural expressions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
I pressed my right hand against my chest horizontally in the traditional gesture that accompanies the tune.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The findings raise the possibility that Heliconius butterflies largely avoid the physical deterioration that accompanies aging in most animals.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
“You should probably know there’s an alarm that accompanies the entire drill from the time you leave your classroom through resting your head here.”
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
But support for Infantino in Egypt is accompanied by growing expectations.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The abode also includes a formal dining room, a dual-island kitchen accompanied by a casual eating area, a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, an office, and a gym.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
New guidelines accompanied a government report citing research that linked sugar substitutes to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Infantino, who has been a frequent visitor to the Oval Office and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, attended the president’s inauguration and accompanied him on visits around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
“I’m sure they will,” said a voice suddenly, and the children turned to see Mr. Poe, dressed very formally and accompanied by his wife.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
The researchers could not conclusively show that it reduced the overall severity of post-traumatic stress disorder or any accompanying depression.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
It is true that the stock-bond correlation has increased in recent years, as you can see from the accompanying chart.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Developing economies today are in the midst of their weakest average growth performance in three decades," said a World Bank statement accompanying the report.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
That love is palpable in “Drifting Toward Twilight” and its accompanying documentary, which sees Saar fawning over the orange tint of sloughed bark and the mystical qualities of garden scraps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
With a younger brother and sister to care for, and little gold left to them, there could no longer be any question of Albus accompanying me.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
