accelerator
a person or thing that accelerates.
Automotive. a device, usually operated by the foot, for controlling the speed of an engine.
British. any two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle, as a motorcycle or motor scooter.
Photography. a chemical, usually an alkali, added to a developer to increase the rate of development.
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.
Anatomy, Physiology. any muscle, nerve, or activating substance that quickens a movement.
Also called at·om smash·er [at-uhm smash-er], /ˈæt əm ˌsmæʃ ər/, par·ti·cle ac·cel·er·a·tor [pahr-ti-kuhl] /ˈpɑr tɪ kəl/ .Physics. an electrostatic or electromagnetic device, as a cyclotron, that produces high-energy particles and focuses them on a target.
Economics. acceleration coefficient.
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. : Compare incubator (def. 5).
Origin of accelerator
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use accelerator in a sentence
There are very few incubators and accelerators, few venture capitalists and investors to truly build out the ecosystem.
All the bored guards had a great time with the sirens, lights, accelerators on the floor and that sort of thing.
The Misplaced Battleship | Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)The anti-accelerators had been cut in, neutralizing the effect of inertia.
Planet of the Gods | Robert Moore WilliamsWeak acids such as carbonic acid and acetic acid are also effective accelerators.
Chlorination of Water | Joseph RaceHowever, the coefficient is influenced by accelerators, so that here also great care must be exercised when interpreting results.
The Preparation of Plantation Rubber | Sidney Morgan
The oxides of alkaline metals or their alkaline salts are not the only accelerators susceptible of being used in pyro development.
British Dictionary definitions for accelerator
/ (ækˈsɛləˌreɪtə) /
a device for increasing speed, esp a pedal for controlling the fuel intake in a motor vehicle; throttle
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
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
economics (in an economy) the relationship between the rate of change in output or sales and the consequent change in the level of investment
anatomy a muscle or nerve that increases the rate of a function
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
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