accomplish
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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unaccomplishableadjective
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accomplishernoun
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accomplishableadjective
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preaccomplishverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have accomplishedperfect
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has accomplishedperfect 3rd person singular
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are accomplishingprogressive
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accomplishingparticiple
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am accomplishingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been accomplishingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been accomplishingperfect progressive
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accomplishessingular 3rd person
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is accomplishingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had accomplishedperfect
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was accomplishingprogressive singular
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were accomplishingprogressive plural
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had been accomplishingperfect progressive
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accomplishedsimple
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accomplishedparticiple
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.
If your goal in owning a large-cap index fund is to be invested in all of the biggest U.S. firms, new fast-tracking rules help accomplish that sooner.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
To accomplish the feat, the researchers adopted a laser architecture known as the Mamyshev oscillator, a design that had received relatively little attention in integrated photonics.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
I found myself in a constant pursuit of the best, and I was exhausted by the search, one that began to feel possibly impossible to accomplish.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
Google developed an in-house alternative, the Tensor Processing Unit, or TPU, which could quickly accomplish the complex math of AI.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
That allowed him to accomplish his task as quickly as possible.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
