accomplish
Americanverb (used with object)
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accomplishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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accomplished,
past participle, past
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accomplishing
present participle
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to bring to its goal or conclusion; carry out; perform; finish.
to accomplish one's mission.
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to complete (a distance or period of time).
to have accomplished the age of 70;
We accomplished the journey in little more than an hour.
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Archaic. to provide polish to; perfect.
verb
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to manage to do; achieve
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to conclude successfully; complete
Usage
What does accomplish mean? Accomplish means to carry out or finish an action—to complete what you set out to do. To accomplish a goal is to complete it. Accomplish is often (though not always) used in the context of completing a set goal—one that is planned or desired before it is accomplished. Accomplish is generally used in a positive way in the context of completing beneficial goals (though a person can accomplish bad things—many supervillains hope to accomplish a global takeover). The completion of a goal or anything accomplished can be called an accomplishment, which means about the same thing as achievement. Someone who has accomplished many impressive things in life or in their career can be described with the adjective accomplished. It’s especially used to indicate that a person is very experienced, skilled, and perhaps awarded in their field, as in an accomplished singer. Much less commonly, accomplish can mean to reach a destination or certain age, as in I never thought I would accomplish the age of 100. Example: I’m hoping to accomplish everything on my to-do list today.
Synonym Usage
See do 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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accomplishernoun
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preaccomplishverb (used with object)
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accomplishableadjective
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unaccomplishableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accomplishsimple
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accomplishessimple
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have accomplishedperfect
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has accomplishedperfect
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am accomplishingprogressive
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are accomplishingprogressive
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is accomplishingprogressive
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have been accomplishingperfect progressive
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has been accomplishingperfect progressive
Past
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accomplishedsimple
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had accomplishedperfect
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was accomplishingprogressive
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were accomplishingprogressive
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had been accomplishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accomplish
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French accompliss-, stem of acomplir, equivalent to a- ac- + complir, ultimately from Latin complēre “to fill”; see complete, -ish 2
Explanation
To accomplish something is to get it done. People usually accomplish things that are sources of pride — like goals or records. But people accomplish immoral acts as well — like scandals or cons. The verb accomplish also means to bring about or put into effect. The CEO stood before the employees and outlined all she expected to be accomplished in the next year. She ended her speech by saying, "If we are to accomplish this, we must all work together — and work hard — but the rewards if we succeed will be great both for the company and for those that work here. Thank you for your efforts!"
Vocabulary lists containing accomplish
List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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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:
Biles, Dominique Dawes, who competed in her third Olympics in 2000, Linda Metheny and Muriel Grossfield are the only women to accomplish the feat for the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The debate is complicated by a broad recognition by officials that a single quarter-point increase wouldn’t accomplish much on its own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
"If they are a bit more generous and say that 'Zhu Rongji did accomplish some practical things', I will thank the heavens."
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
To help accomplish that, Shotwell said SpaceX is deploying 10 times as many of its next-generation Broadband V3 satellites, which are 10 times more capable than current models.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
I was optimistic about what our evidence might accomplish in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The Harvard chip accomplishes this using tiny electrical currents.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
But Ms. Dimmock, by doling out Parker’s pathological lies and absurd deceptions in modest doses, accomplishes two strategic things—momentum and controlled toxicity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Being more intentional about your job search accomplishes two goals.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Part of the issue is that much of the good that a president accomplishes occurs during the first year of a term—and is immediately priced in.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
The only thing he accomplishes is an entirely new sort of map—the city of Imola as seen from above, drawn in perfect proportion.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Vance has turned his marriage into a 21st century “Taming of the Shrew,” selling his audience the fantasy of taking a smart, accomplished career woman and reducing her to a submissive housewife.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Southern California native Austin, the youngest of three accomplished tennis children and the youngest U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
He was such an accomplished sailor, he represented Norway three times at the Olympics, and declared his competitive sailing days over in 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The researchers accomplished this by combining advanced photoelectron spectroscopy with sophisticated mathematical algorithms.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Haupt was powerfully built and an accomplished fighter in both wrestling and boxing.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Schools and districts need a standard for judging any discipline policy—one that asks what the misbehavior is accomplishing for the child, and whether the school’s response changes it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
"Given the critical shortage of air defense missiles from our partners, our warriors are accomplishing truly incredible things," Zelensky said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
“What is keeping Tesla back from accomplishing these short-term goals that they’ve set for themselves?”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Buffett was an enthusiastic supporter of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, stating in 2006 he "greatly" admired what it was accomplishing and promised to make yearly donations.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
They took up work in the stockyards, steel mills, and other industrial plants, accomplishing what they had been recruited to do.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
