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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.

“Warner Bros. would have been a nice accelerant for our strategy, but only at the right price,” Netflix said in its investor letter.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

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

More than just a champion, Alcaraz has been an accelerant, a signal of how an old game like tennis can reignite and improve, even upon its greatest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

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