accomplish
Americanverb (used with object)
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accomplishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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accomplished,
past participle, past
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accomplishing
present participle
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to bring to its goal or conclusion; carry out; perform; finish.
to accomplish one's mission.
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to complete (a distance or period of time).
to have accomplished the age of 70;
We accomplished the journey in little more than an hour.
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Archaic. to provide polish to; perfect.
verb
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to manage to do; achieve
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to conclude successfully; complete
Usage
What does accomplish mean? Accomplish means to carry out or finish an action—to complete what you set out to do. To accomplish a goal is to complete it. Accomplish is often (though not always) used in the context of completing a set goal—one that is planned or desired before it is accomplished. Accomplish is generally used in a positive way in the context of completing beneficial goals (though a person can accomplish bad things—many supervillains hope to accomplish a global takeover). The completion of a goal or anything accomplished can be called an accomplishment, which means about the same thing as achievement. Someone who has accomplished many impressive things in life or in their career can be described with the adjective accomplished. It’s especially used to indicate that a person is very experienced, skilled, and perhaps awarded in their field, as in an accomplished singer. Much less commonly, accomplish can mean to reach a destination or certain age, as in I never thought I would accomplish the age of 100. Example: I’m hoping to accomplish everything on my to-do list today.
Synonym Usage
See do 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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accomplishernoun
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preaccomplishverb (used with object)
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accomplishableadjective
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unaccomplishableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accomplishsimple
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accomplishessimple
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have accomplishedperfect
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has accomplishedperfect
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am accomplishingprogressive
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are accomplishingprogressive
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is accomplishingprogressive
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have been accomplishingperfect progressive
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has been accomplishingperfect progressive
Past
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accomplishedsimple
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had accomplishedperfect
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was accomplishingprogressive
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were accomplishingprogressive
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had been accomplishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accomplish
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French accompliss-, stem of acomplir, equivalent to a- ac- + complir, ultimately from Latin complēre “to fill”; see complete, -ish 2
Explanation
To accomplish something is to get it done. People usually accomplish things that are sources of pride — like goals or records. But people accomplish immoral acts as well — like scandals or cons. The verb accomplish also means to bring about or put into effect. The CEO stood before the employees and outlined all she expected to be accomplished in the next year. She ended her speech by saying, "If we are to accomplish this, we must all work together — and work hard — but the rewards if we succeed will be great both for the company and for those that work here. Thank you for your efforts!"
Vocabulary lists containing accomplish
List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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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.
See Examples For:
The talking heads are all too willing to critique Hurts and others like Kyrie Irving and Angel Reese, only to eat crow each time they accomplish something on the field or on the court.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
"The team who work on the show bring energy and creativity and a fresh look at our TV offer. I am extremely proud of what they continue to accomplish."
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
What do you hope to accomplish by writing about depression?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
A laser-generated plasma antenna could potentially accomplish similar adjustments by steering the laser beam itself, reducing the need for moving parts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
My coming to Estre had, however, another purpose, and this I could accomplish.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Harvard chip accomplishes this using tiny electrical currents.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Ms. Butterly accomplishes the feat of making “ceramics” become “sculpture” without the usual method of constructing giant jars with impossibly minuscule openings and jazzily geometric surface decoration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Being more intentional about your job search accomplishes two goals.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Part of the issue is that much of the good that a president accomplishes occurs during the first year of a term—and is immediately priced in.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
The only thing he accomplishes is an entirely new sort of map—the city of Imola as seen from above, drawn in perfect proportion.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Even more impressive is how quickly Perseverance accomplished the feat.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, that same make-or-break standard hasn’t been applied to many of Hurts’ peers, even those who have accomplished less than Hurts.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
If his aim was to show what Spurs have been missing, this was very much mission accomplished.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
"He said that together we have accomplished extraordinary things... But there is still a mission to complete."
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
It was about avenging him, which, like preparing the dead, must be accomplished in silence and secret.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Right now, rates in the current range of 3.75% to 4% don’t seem to be accomplishing that, Harker said on CNBC.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026
Anthropic’s revenue “is a proxy for how well they are accomplishing their mission,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
"Given the critical shortage of air defense missiles from our partners, our warriors are accomplishing truly incredible things," Zelensky said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Buffett was an enthusiastic supporter of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, stating in 2006 he "greatly" admired what it was accomplishing and promised to make yearly donations.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
It was thus difficult to avoid the disquieting thought that I was not accomplishing anything.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
