accelerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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accelerates,
present (3rd person singular)
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accelerated,
past participle, past
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accelerating
present participle
-
to cause faster or greater activity, development, progress, advancement, etc., in.
to accelerate economic growth.
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to hasten the occurrence of.
to accelerate the fall of a government.
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Mechanics. to change the velocity of (a body) or the rate of (motion); cause to undergo acceleration.
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to reduce the time required for (a course of study) by intensifying the work, eliminating detail, etc.
verb (used without object)
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accelerates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accelerated,
past participle, past
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accelerating
present participle
-
to move or go faster; increase in speed.
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to progress or develop faster.
verb
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to go, occur, or cause to go or occur more quickly; speed up
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(tr) to cause to happen sooner than expected
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(tr) to increase the velocity of (a body, reaction, etc); cause acceleration
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overaccelerateverb
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reaccelerateverb
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accelerableadjective
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accelerativeadjective
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self-acceleratingadjective
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unacceleratedadjective
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acceleratedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acceleratesimple
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acceleratessimple
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have acceleratedperfect
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has acceleratedperfect
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am acceleratingprogressive
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are acceleratingprogressive
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is acceleratingprogressive
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have been acceleratingperfect progressive
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has been acceleratingperfect progressive
Past
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acceleratedsimple
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had acceleratedperfect
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was acceleratingprogressive
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were acceleratingprogressive
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had been acceleratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accelerate
First recorded in 1515–25; from Latin accelerātus “sped up,” past participle of accelerāre “to speed up,” from ac- ac- + celerāre “to hasten, hurry” (from celer “swift”)
Explanation
Accelerate means to speed up. A car accelerates when you step on the gas. You can accelerate the process of getting a visa if you happen to know someone who works in the consulate. The fastest Amtrak trains are called the Acela line, a made-up word intended to suggest accelerate and therefore communicate that these trains are fast. If you are standing close to one when it zooms by, you may find yourself having an accelerated heart rate — they move pretty fast!
Vocabulary lists containing accelerate
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Holes
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2
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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:
But other businesses see an opportunity to accelerate work by using AI to do some of the orchestration typically performed by middle managers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“However, Intel is committed to Ohio, and we continue with our investments to accelerate the site readiness.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
The "joint intervention in late July had a short-lived impact on the yen but has increased pressure on the BoJ to accelerate the pace of rate hikes", said Shigeto Nagai, an analyst at Oxford Economics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
If volcanic ash and other forms of mineral dust can accelerate methane destruction, estimates of how methane moves through the atmosphere may need to be adjusted.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Five miles north of school, the Colonel moved into the left lane of the interstate and began to accelerate.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
“This transaction accelerates our ambition to become an industrial technology partner to the data center industry and help customers address the growing infrastructure complexity required to scale AI,” SLB Chief Executive Olivier Le Peuch said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
As Falcon Heavy accelerates through Earth's atmosphere, Roman will experience powerful sound waves, aerodynamic pressure, and significant heating.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Moderna’s breakthrough highlights a broader transformation, as AI accelerates the clinical development of therapies at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable a few years ago.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
So some analysts think interest rates may not rise this year - but there are still risks they do, especially if inflation accelerates by an unexpected amount.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The engine roars and pops; the truck rarely accelerates past walking speed.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Thome says the odds of accelerated approval are “skewing positive,” in part because the FDA is going back to its “old body language.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Houston Astros: Correa, whose second act with Houston has been a flop because of injuries, was working on an accelerated comeback from May ankle surgery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Retail analysts point to two developments that accelerated the rise of private-label products.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Inflation accelerated in July towards the two percent target set by the BoJ.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
But Podsnap’s Technique had immensely accelerated the process of ripening.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
This evolving and now possibly accelerating arms race in space should come as no surprise.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Analytics and artificial-intelligence software firm Databricks says its business in Asia is accelerating and plans to invest more in Singapore to tap regional demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The region is warming at unprecedented rates, accelerating sea-level rise and causing severe weather in the U.S. and elsewhere.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
"It's about actually accelerating that work," Wilkinson said in a phone interview.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Half-moon curve of the tuna’s tailfin is nothing but a blur, accelerating from zero to fifty in a heartbeat.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
