accompany
Americanverb (used with object)
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to go along or in company with; join in action.
to accompany a friend on a walk.
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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)
verb
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(tr) to go along with, so as to be in company with or escort
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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
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am accompanyingprogressive
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are accompanyingprogressive
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is accompanyingprogressive
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have been accompanyingperfect progressive
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has been accompanyingperfect progressive
Past
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accompaniedsimple
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had accompaniedperfect
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was accompanyingprogressive
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were accompanyingprogressive
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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.
That means they're experiencing more of the chronic illnesses and health issues that can accompany old age.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Many of the videos people create online to accompany the song show people in sunglasses and summer outfits, as if they're about to book the next flight to the island.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
And a problem for market bulls is that such a capex reduction may coincide with two classic markers that Perkins believes usually accompany a market top: insider selling and monetary tightening.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
Wygodny has written original music to subtly accompany Booth’s fable, lending the emotional subtext at points a penumbra of cello.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
“And because my mind is sharpening day by day, I was going to ask if Epsilon-5 could accompany me to the surface tomorrow. We make a good team. My knowledge, combined with his experience.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
