acceleration

American  

[ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn, ik-] / ækˌsɛl əˈreɪ ʃən, ɪk- /

noun

1. the act of accelerating; increase of speed or velocity.

2. a change in velocity.

3. Mechanics. the time rate of change of velocity with respect to magnitude or direction; the derivative of velocity with respect to time.

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acceleration British  

/ ækˌsɛləˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of accelerating or the state of being accelerated

2.  a.  the rate of increase of speed or the rate of change of velocity

3.  a.  the power to accelerate

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acceleration Scientific  

/ ăk-sĕl′ə-rā′shən /

1. The rate of change of the velocity of a moving body. An increase in the magnitude of the velocity of a moving body (an increase in speed) is called a positive acceleration; a decrease in speed is called a negative acceleration. Acceleration, like velocity, is a vector quantity, so any change in the direction of a moving body is also an acceleration. A moving body that follows a curved path, even when its speed remains constant, is undergoing acceleration.

2. See more at gravity relativity

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acceleration Cultural  

1. A change in the velocity of an object.

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Discover More

The most familiar kind of acceleration is a change in the speed of an object. An object that stays at the same speed but changes direction, however, is also being accelerated. (See force.)

Other Word Forms

• nonacceleration noun
• overacceleration noun
• reacceleration noun

Etymology

Origin of acceleration

First recorded in 1525–35, acceleration is from the Latin word accelerātiōn- (stem of accelerātiō ). See accelerate, -ion

Example Sentences

The company last year said its partnership with Meta had boosted sales and that it expected to book further acceleration in its top line as more consumers take to glasses integrated with technology.

From The Wall Street Journal

In September 2023 the NRA approved Chubu Electric's estimate of 1,200 gal, a unit of acceleration used to measure the intensity of quakes.

From Barron's

And Jefferies analyst Brent Thill forecast “another year of gradual AI monetization, with more meaningful growth contribution/acceleration needed to ease AI disintermediation fears, thus requiring more selectivity.”

From MarketWatch

“This implies the market is pricing in healthy acceleration outside of tech vs. strong growth though decelerating trends in tech,” he said.

From Barron's

“Previously, capacity was constrained by clean room space, but this limitation is being addressed through the acceleration of new clean rooms and the re-purposing of existing ones,” they added.

From MarketWatch