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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preaccomplishverb (used with object)
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unaccomplishableadjective
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accomplishernoun
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accomplishableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has accomplishedperfect 3rd person singular
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have accomplishedperfect
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am accomplishingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been accomplishingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is accomplishingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been accomplishingperfect progressive
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are accomplishingprogressive
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accomplishingparticiple
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accomplishessingular 3rd person
Past
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had accomplishedperfect
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were accomplishingprogressive plural
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had been accomplishingperfect progressive
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was accomplishingprogressive singular
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accomplishedsimple
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accomplishedparticiple
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.
“Humble leaders can accomplish more than egotistical leaders.”
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
To accomplish that, the researchers had to move beyond the traditional Riemannian model.
From Science Daily • Jun. 7, 2026
While he admits it will be practically impossible to completely detach himself from soccer, he said there are important things to accomplish off the field.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
“I’m retired so I accomplish what I want to!”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
“If you don’t think about it now, when will you have time? You have to get clear on what you want to accomplish in Rio before you get there.”
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
