accomplish
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
Anya says he asked her about her family, her interests, "what I was trying to accomplish in life, why I was doing modelling, all things that mattered for me".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
These systems demonstrate what segmented detectors can accomplish, but they also reveal a growing problem.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
But to accomplish some of those goals, the company might need to make some adjustments to its prices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
“I can’t think of anybody better suited to be able to accomplish that mission than somebody who’s lived that life,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
What she hopes to accomplish once she gets to DC.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Being more intentional about your job search accomplishes two goals.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
This isn’t meant to reduce Bertei’s work or what she accomplishes; it’s meant to point out that this is how it should actually happen all of the time, but rarely does.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
He accomplishes the first task with panache and erudition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 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 analogy is more poetic than precise, for the cell accomplishes its “burning” with only the moderate heat of the body’s normal temperature.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
"The thing about Ed is everything he does, he does immensely seriously and so he is now a very accomplished drummer," Peston added.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
"So overlooked but so accomplished as musicians and songwriters, and with an exceptional frontman in Marti Pellow," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The reason it isn’t a crisis is that he’s Novak Djokovic, the most accomplished men’s tennis player of all time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
They accomplished this using a technique from quantum information science called quantum Fisher information.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
“You two have accomplished both tasks as quickly as I expected you would.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
“What is keeping Tesla back from accomplishing these short-term goals that they’ve set for themselves?”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
She appears to be accomplishing all three of those goals.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in arguing during a meeting in Washington that the U.S. wasn’t accomplishing its goals by treating the EU poorly, a senior U.S. official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
That is formidable, but this book is meant to be definitive, and it succeeds in accomplishing that.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
On the court it’s all adrenaline and sweat and movement and leather and cheering and squeaking sneakers and high fives and the feeling that I can and am accomplishing something.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
