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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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:
This, friends, is exactly what the speech was meant to accomplish — myopic bickering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
These systems demonstrate what segmented detectors can accomplish, but they also reveal a growing problem.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
But to accomplish some of those goals, the company might need to make some adjustments to its prices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Finding loopholes in the cap is a proven way to accomplish that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Nice job? But I didn’t accomplish a thing!”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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
The analogy is more poetic than precise, for the cell accomplishes its “burning” with only the moderate heat of the body’s normal temperature.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
"So overlooked but so accomplished as musicians and songwriters, and with an exceptional frontman in Marti Pellow," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Not only are both Alison and Lezley accomplished visual artists, and Tracye a successful writer, but so are their respective children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
The reason it isn’t a crisis is that he’s Novak Djokovic, the most accomplished men’s tennis player of all time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Bedford Girls' School head Gemma Gibson said Year 10 pupil Natalie was "bright and accomplished", remembered her as a dancer, musician and sportswoman.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
He had accomplished one of the most spectacular feats of survival ever recorded, and he was celebrated on every continent.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
“What is keeping Tesla back from accomplishing these short-term goals that they’ve set for themselves?”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in arguing during a meeting in Washington that the U.S. wasn’t accomplishing its goals by treating the EU poorly, a senior U.S. official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
That is formidable, but this book is meant to be definitive, and it succeeds in accomplishing that.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
But it was unclear how far along the U.S. military is in accomplishing its mission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 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.
