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:
Pape finds no evidence—from the wars in Korea to Vietnam to the first Gulf War or any others—to support the theory that air power can accomplish any of those aims on its own.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Seydou met Jerry Rice at the NFL Academy in 2019 and interviewed him for a social media clip, in which the NFL legend told Seydou to "pour yourself into what you're trying to accomplish"
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The authors say larger and more carefully designed trials are needed to show what exercise can realistically accomplish for people with hip osteoarthritis.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
"We believe we will more than accomplish the evidentiary burden of probable cause at this point to hold David to answer on these three felony charges," Hochman told the press.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
To accomplish this, the artist must control space within the framework of a unified composition.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Being more intentional about your job search accomplishes two goals.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Mr. Sheehan accomplishes here what might otherwise take hundreds of scholars to produce in a standard reference work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 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
However, this tax no longer accomplishes what it once did.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2025
Indeed, it is more or less taken as modern gospel that profound scientific truth frequently accomplishes the opposite of what Epicurus recommended, costing us peace of mind.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
Michelle Obama and Usha Vance were arguably more accomplished than their husbands were at the start of their political careers.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Kent, who is 6-foot-1 and played at around 185 pounds, accomplished much while building his Hall of Fame career in the majors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
These were intelligent, accomplished people who built businesses, led large organizations, and accumulated substantial wealth.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
The researchers point out that the use of AI doesn’t necessarily mean workers accomplished what they set out to do, or saved time or money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
This could only be accomplished if large foundations and international agencies became more involved.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Schools and districts need a standard for judging any discipline policy—one that asks what the misbehavior is accomplishing for the child, and whether the school’s response changes it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
“What is keeping Tesla back from accomplishing these short-term goals that they’ve set for themselves?”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 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 hard to believe we were accomplishing anything at all,” he said.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
