accelerant

American

[ak-sel-er-uhnt] / ækˈsɛl ər ənt /

noun

something that speeds up a process.
Chemistry. accelerator.
a substance that accelerates the spread of fire or makes a fire more intense.

Arson was suspected when police found accelerants at the scene of the fire.

accelerant British

/ ækˈsɛlərənt /

noun

chem another name for accelerator

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

accelerant Scientific

/ ăk-sĕl′ər-ənt /

A substance, such as a petroleum distillate, that is used as a catalyst, as in spreading an intentionally set fire.

Etymology

Origin of accelerant

1915–20; < Latin accelerant- (stem of accelerāns ) hastening (present participle of accelerāre ). See accelerate

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.

It would be naive to say that wasn’t an accelerant.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

The chatbots, it added, had become a "powerful accelerant for harm."

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

Another accelerant could be the shift in the Bank of Korea’s stance towards hawkish.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

LegalZoom CEO Jeff Stibel said he approaches AI as an accelerant for his business and so-called Main Street companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

The investigation is related to a fire which broke out on an industrial estate on Staffa Road in Leyton in March, which the prosecution said was started using an accelerant such as petrol.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023