accompany
Americanverb (used with object)
-
accompanies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accompanied,
past participle, past
-
accompanying
present participle
-
to go along or in company with; join in action.
to accompany a friend on a walk.
-
to be or exist in association or company with.
Thunder accompanies lightning.
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to put in company with; cause to be or go along; associate (usually followed bywith ).
He accompanied his speech with gestures.
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Music. to play or sing an accompaniment to or for.
verb (used without object)
-
accompanies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accompanied,
past participle, past
-
accompanying
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to go along with, so as to be in company with or escort
-
to supplement
the food is accompanied with a very hot mango pickle
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(tr) to occur, coexist, or be associated with
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to provide a musical accompaniment for (a performer)
Synonym Usage
Accompany, attend, convoy, escort mean to go along with someone (or something). To accompany is to go along as an associate on equal terms: to accompany a friend on a shopping trip. Attend implies going along with, usually to render service or perform duties: to attend one's employer on a business trip. To convoy is to accompany (especially ships) with an armed guard for protection: to convoy a fleet of merchant vessels. To escort is to accompany in order to protect, guard, honor, or show courtesy: to escort a visiting dignitary.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accompanysimple
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accompaniessimple
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have accompaniedperfect
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has accompaniedperfect
-
am accompanyingprogressive
-
are accompanyingprogressive
-
is accompanyingprogressive
-
have been accompanyingperfect progressive
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has been accompanyingperfect progressive
Past
-
accompaniedsimple
-
had accompaniedperfect
-
was accompanyingprogressive
-
were accompanyingprogressive
-
had been accompanyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accompany
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English accompanye, from Middle French accompagnier; see ac-, company
Explanation
The verb accompany means to keep someone company, or to be their companion on a trip or journey. In a musical sense, accompany means to play background music for the lead singer or soloist. If you want your friend to keep you company on your way to the store, you could ask her to accompany you on the walk. Or, if you want your friend to play piano while you sing a song, you could ask her to accompany you on piano. Just don’t ask her to do both at the same time or your friend may not want to accompany you anywhere any longer.
Vocabulary lists containing accompany
The Circuit
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"Tribute to the Dog," Vocabulary from the speech
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"Lob's Girl" by Joan Aiken
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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:
In return for a three-year commitment to accompany the third duke of Buccleuch on his Continental tour, Smith received a lifetime pension of £300 a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
My grandmother has asked me to accompany her to an attorney to change her will.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
It is also a live demonstration of Dixon’s argument: When the rules change midstream, confusion does not merely accompany the process.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Dogs did more than accompany humans as people spread around the planet.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
“I am currently not presentable for public viewing. I will accompany you to the river, but no farther.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Less than 72 hours later, she startled fans by announcing plans to step away from the spotlight—and the “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” that accompanies it—after wrapping her current tour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Plus, I was famished with the kind of hunger that accompanies the dissipating stress after leaving the dentist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Church authorities note the baby Jesus isn’t presented as a talisman, but as Christ who also accompanies his people in cultural expressions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
"A topic that regularly accompanies what we are doing is how are we doing it? How do we include local expertise?"
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
Variations of it account for some of the “grass is always greener” mentality that frequently accompanies the release of statistics on income.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
According to Prime Video, the series will mirror the game's story, which sees Kratos, accompanied by Atreus, set out on a journey to spread the ashes of his wife.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Kairi’s scenes are often accompanied by the powerful score from composer Yoko Shimomura, amplifying the emotion that has driven the games’ fanbase for more than two decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The primary suite is one of a kind, featuring a spa-inspired bath, a free-standing soaking tub, a glass-enclosed shower, and a custom floating vanity, all accompanied by a terrace overlooking the garden.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The earnings growth was accompanied by a 400-million-euro share buyback, equivalent to $461.7 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Zimbabwean game song “Sorida” contains a melody accompanied by body percussion and hand clapping in pairs of partners.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
“He had his own way of being there for others, helping, accompanying and of leaving a deep imprint on every person who was lucky enough to cross his path,” Lozano wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Are there particular precautions we should take because of my grandmother’s age, the change in beneficiaries, the HELOC, and the fact that I am accompanying her?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
The cost of plane tickets for Todd and four accompanying officials to visit Miami for Scotland's final game was £5,485.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Preparing an earnings release without an accompanying regulatory filing, however, might not result in significant savings, said Brian DelGhiaccio, CFO at Republic Services, a waste management company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Just a ghostly figure some would see walking the woods at night, a faint rattling sound accompanying the movement.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
