decelerate

[ dee-sel-uh-reyt ]

/ diˈsɛl əˌreɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR decelerate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·cel·er·at·ed, de·cel·er·at·ing.

to decrease the velocity of: He decelerates the bobsled when he nears a curve.

to slow the rate of increase of: efforts to decelerate inflation.

verb (used without object), de·cel·er·at·ed, de·cel·er·at·ing.

to slow down: The plane decelerated just before landing.

RELATED WORDS

slow, brake

Nearby words

decedent estate, deceit, deceitful, deceivable, deceive, decelerate, deceleration, decelerometer, deceleron, decem, december

Origin of decelerate

First recorded in 1895–1900; de- + (ac)celerate

Related formsde·cel·er·a·tion, nounde·cel·er·a·tor, nounnon·de·cel·er·a·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decelerate

But by the early 1980s, Gallant's fast-paced life began to decelerate.
The Man Who Created Disco Beauty|Isabel Wilkinson|March 31, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Arcot accelerated toward the planet for two hours, then began to decelerate.
Islands of Space|John W Campbell
If anything of the right size shows up, decelerate until we can get mass and albedo measurements.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin
They could decelerate it at a rate of fifteen gravities or more.
Space Tug|Murray Leinster

Every so often comes the impression we are falling head-first; the colonel using ship's drive to decelerate the whole system.
The Lost Kafoozalum|Pauline Ashwell
Its motor is designed to decelerate that mass by 1,075 mph in order to allow it to assume a descending orbit.
Far from Home|J.A. Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for decelerate

decelerate

/ (diːˈsɛləˌreɪt) /

verb

to slow down or cause to slow down

Derived Formsdeceleration, noundecelerator, noun

Word Origin for decelerate

C19: from de- + accelerate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decelerate

decelerate

1899, back-formation from deceleration. Related: Decelerated; decelerating.