accompany

American  

[uh-kuhm-puh-nee] / əˈkʌm pə ni /

verb (used with object)

accompanied, accompanying

1. to go along or in company with; join in action.

   to accompany a friend on a walk.

2. to be or exist in association or company with.

   Thunder accompanies lightning.

3. to put in company with; cause to be or go along; associate (usually followed bywith ).

   He accompanied his speech with gestures.

4. Music. to play or sing an accompaniment to or for.

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verb (used without object)

accompanied, accompanying

1. to provide the musical accompaniment.

accompany British  

/ əˈkʌmpənɪ, əˈkʌmpnɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to go along with, so as to be in company with or escort

2. to supplement

   the food is accompanied with a very hot mango pickle

3. (tr) to occur, coexist, or be associated with

4. to provide a musical accompaniment for (a performer)

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Related Words

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

• accompanier noun
• nonaccompanying adjective
• reaccompany verb (used with object)

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.

Example Sentences

In 1994 - nearly 30 years after The Naked Ape was published - Morris made the TV series he should have made to accompany it.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

To accompany the special, Peacock aired the four-part docuseries, “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” diving deep into aspects of the show fans don’t often get an intimate glimpse of.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

The parliamentary legislation to accompany some of them is expected later this year, and will include new powers allowing so-called "dynamic alignment" with Europe in areas where deals have already been signed.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

He was so excited when Puerto Rico beat Panama on a walk-off home run, he texted Dodgers baseball president Andrew Friedman and asked if he could accompany the team to Houston for the knockout round.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

But the gloom of Lydia’s prospect was shortly cleared away; for she received an invitation from Mrs. Forster, the wife of the colonel of the regiment, to accompany her to Brighton.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Related Words

• attend
• escort
• follow
• guide
• lead