accelerator

American  

[ak-sel-uh-ray-ter] / ækˈsɛl əˌreɪ tər /

noun

• accelerators
  plural

1. a person or thing that accelerates.

2. Automotive. a device, usually operated by the foot, for controlling the speed of an engine.

3. British. any two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle, as a motorcycle or motor scooter.

4. Photography. a chemical, usually an alkali, added to a developer to increase the rate of development.

5. Also called accelerant. Chemistry. any substance that increases the speed of a chemical change, as one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber or that hastens the setting of concrete, mortar, plaster, or the like.

6. Anatomy, Physiology. any muscle, nerve, or activating substance that quickens a movement.

7. Also called particle accelerator, atom smasher. Physics. an electrostatic or electromagnetic device, as a cyclotron, that produces high-energy particles and focuses them on a target.

8. Economics. acceleration coefficient.

9. Business. an enterprise that provides investment funding and short, fixed-duration mentoring and education programs to a select group of startups that apply for this, including access to networking, strategy coaching, collaborative workspace, etc.

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accelerator British  

/ ækˈsɛləˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a device for increasing speed, esp a pedal for controlling the fuel intake in a motor vehicle; throttle

2. Also called (not in technical usage): atom smasher. physics a machine for increasing the kinetic energy of subatomic particles or atomic nuclei and focusing them on a target

3. chem a substance that increases the speed of a chemical reaction, esp one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber, the rate of development in photography, the rate of setting of synthetic resins, or the rate of setting of concrete; catalyst

4. economics (in an economy) the relationship between the rate of change in output or sales and the consequent change in the level of investment

5. anatomy a muscle or nerve that increases the rate of a function

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• accelerators
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of accelerator

First recorded in 1605–15 and in 1930–35 accelerator for def. 7; accelerate + -or ²

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Explanation

An accelerator makes things go, or accelerate. The gas pedal on a car is an accelerator, but so is a machine that scientists use to speed particles up and smash them. An accelerator gets things going. In a car, the accelerator is the gas pedal that you mash with your foot when you’re ready to speed off into the sunset. In physics, a particle accelerator speeds off in a different way — it takes a particle, such as an electron, and speeds it up to almost the speed of light, and smashes it into an atom. Why? To see what it’s made of.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accelerator accelerators

Another reason is regenerative braking, the process whereby when drivers release the accelerator, the electric car starts to slow down and uses the energy to feed the battery.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

He seeks to continue expanding local jobs, implement accelerator programs to support the development of small businesses and prioritize infrastructure to attract new businesses to the district.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

There, they used the facility's synchrotron, a circular particle accelerator that generates powerful X-rays.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

"That works beautifully as long as everyone agrees the accelerator stays pinned to the floor. It becomes more complicated when the top dogs running the biggest AI engines start discussing speed governors."

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

She turned the car left and stepped on the accelerator.

From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea

Despite major advances in nuclear physics since the 1930s and decades of work with particle accelerators, scientists have not been able to conclusively confirm the effect.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

That involves adding "sulphur accelerators, antioxidants, and activators into the material" which "prevents the biodegradation of balloons" and also leaks "toxic chemicals into the environment".

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

The company’s AI revenue, which counts all PCs and smartphones with dedicated AI accelerators, AI and GPU servers and related services, jumped 60%, to now account for 35% of all revenue.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Standard balloons, made of natural rubber, undergo sulphur vulcanization, with accelerators, activators and other substances added, said the scientists at Imperial.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Stored electrical energy is discharged by sparking, a common bug in new accelerators that was customarily eliminated by polishing down any interior imperfections attracting the discharge.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• particle accelerator

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