accelerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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
- accelerable adjective
- acceleratedly adverb
- accelerative adjective
- overaccelerate verb
- reaccelerate verb
- self-accelerating adjective
- unaccelerated adjective
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”)
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.
The database then served as graphic inspiration, allowing the computer to stylize the shots of the cities where the film takes place, accelerating production that would otherwise have taken years.
From Barron's
According to Phayul, an English-language website based in India and funded by Tibetans in exile, "Critics view the legislation as the latest phase of an accelerated 'Sinicisation' campaign under Xi's leadership".
From BBC
Falling oil prices could ease concerns over accelerating inflation in Japan and over a faster pace of rate increases by the Bank of Japan, market observers say.
As crude prices spiked in the spring of 2022, inflation readings had already accelerated sharply in the wake of the global pandemic shutdown, with headline CPI running at 8.5%.
From Barron's
Gasoline prices nationally are likely to start accelerating again Monday, he said, as gas stations pass along what is happening in energy markets right now to consumers.
From MarketWatch
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.
