accelerate

[ ak-sel-uh-reyt ]

/ ækˈsɛl əˌreɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR accelerate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ac·cel·er·at·ed, ac·cel·er·at·ing.

to cause faster or greater activity, development, progress, advancement, etc., in: to accelerate economic growth.

to hasten the occurrence of: to accelerate the fall of a government.

Mechanics. to change the velocity of (a body) or the rate of (motion); cause to undergo acceleration.

to reduce the time required for (a course of study) by intensifying the work, eliminating detail, etc.

verb (used without object), ac·cel·er·at·ed, ac·cel·er·at·ing.

to move or go faster; increase in speed.

to progress or develop faster.

Nearby words

accd, accede, accel., accelerando, accelerant, accelerate, accelerated reader, accelerating universe, acceleration, acceleration clause, acceleration coefficient

Origin of accelerate

1515–25; < Latin accelerātus speeded up (past participle of accelerāre), equivalent to ac- ac- + celer swift + -ātus -ate¹

Related forms

ac·cel·er·a·ble, adjectiveac·cel·er·at·ed·ly, adverbo·ver·ac·cel·er·ate, verb, o·ver·ac·cel·er·at·ed, o·ver·ac·cel·er·at·ing.re·ac·cel·er·ate, verb, re·ac·cel·er·at·ed, re·ac·cel·er·at·ing.

self-ac·cel·erat·ing, adjectiveun·ac·cel·er·at·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for accelerate

It may accelerate the adoption of laws giving patients more power.
The Upside of Ebola (Yes, There May Actually Be One)|Nick Gillespie|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Accelerate this process,” said Royce, adding that the Free Syrian Army is the antidote to the ongoing expansion of ISIS in Syria.
After Steven Sotloff Murder, Congress Demands a Vote on Obama’s ISIS War|Josh Rogin|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We have every reason to expect these demographic changes to continue, if not accelerate,” Bonica said.
The New Face of American Medicine: Liberal Women|Dale Eisinger|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conservative evangelicalism is losing millennials in gobs, and the World Vision fallout is sure to only accelerate the fallout.
World Vision’s Gay Compromise|Brad Kramer|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A ban in New York will accelerate bids for carriage crackdowns elsewhere.
De Blasio Whipped by Horse Lobby|Josh Robin|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I think you ought to be allowed to ruin yourself and accelerate the revolution in any absurd way which may seem best to you.
A House-Party|Ouida
After walking awhile I found my soreness began to leave me, when I began to accelerate my pace.
Biography of a Slave|Charles Thompson
But this visit was still further important, as it tended to accelerate the formation of a fourth settlement.
The Moravians in Labrador|Anonymous
Yet her present scheme to accelerate its termination, became difficult even of trial.
Camilla|Fanny Burney
With tired dogs whose pace no whip or call could accelerate, we reached the fort at midday on the 21st.
The Great Lone Land|W. F. Butler

British Dictionary definitions for accelerate

accelerate

/ (ækˈsɛləˌreɪt) /

verb

to go, occur, or cause to go or occur more quickly; speed up

(tr) to cause to happen sooner than expected

(tr) to increase the velocity of (a body, reaction, etc); cause acceleration

Derived Forms

accelerable, adjectiveaccelerative or acceleratory, adjective

Word Origin for accelerate

C16: from Latin accelerātus, from accelerāre to go faster, from ad- (intensive) + celerāre to hasten, from celer swift

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