accompany
Americanverb (used with object)
-
accompanies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accompanied,
past participle, past
-
accompanying
present participle
-
to go along or in company with; join in action.
to accompany a friend on a walk.
-
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)
-
accompanies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accompanied,
past participle, past
-
accompanying
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to go along with, so as to be in company with or escort
-
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
-
accompaniessimple
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have accompaniedperfect
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has accompaniedperfect
-
am accompanyingprogressive
-
are accompanyingprogressive
-
is accompanyingprogressive
-
have been accompanyingperfect progressive
-
has been accompanyingperfect progressive
Past
-
accompaniedsimple
-
had accompaniedperfect
-
was accompanyingprogressive
-
were accompanyingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
One approached insistently and said he was 14 years old and had come alone with no adults or older companions to accompany him.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Published in the journal Antiquity, the findings challenge the belief that greater inequality must accompany economic growth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
Trump accompanied Infantino onstage to present the trophy to Chelsea — but did not accompany him off the stage immediately following the presentation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“I told him I didn’t remember if we had already discussed, but that she couldn’t accompany him on trips,” Manuel wrote in a previously unreported note on Aug. 29, 2024, handwritten on Michigan letterhead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
I answered by inviting him to accompany me on a general inspection of the result of my labours.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
She often accompanies a group of nuns from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, where they deliver food and clothes to the homeless and drug addicts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The tagline that accompanies the scene reads: "POV you're a childfree and single girl that has no friends and lives alone so this is how you spend your Friday night."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Church authorities note the baby Jesus isn’t presented as a talisman, but as Christ who also accompanies his people in cultural expressions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
I pressed my right hand against my chest horizontally in the traditional gesture that accompanies the tune.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
I thought I would be exempt from the . . . depression . . . that accompanies a conscience.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
The breakout above the July highs has been accompanied by decisive buying pressure, with the subsequent momentum suggesting that the bulls are in control, Weston says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The abode also includes a formal dining room, a dual-island kitchen accompanied by a casual eating area, a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, an office, and a gym.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Is it just me or am I the ugliest person alive?" a woman in her early 30s asks the camera on TikTok, accompanied by the caption "POV: Girls in their luteal phase."
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Experts see parallels between the "Black Summer" and what has happened in Europe in recent months -- extended periods of drought accompanied by very high temperatures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Much later, investigators would realize that faulty readings from the broken gauge accompanied by the sound of the explosion from unit 4 had led operators to the wrong conclusion.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Regarding the child's behaviour, Porter Airlines said "attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to address this were unsuccessful".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
You can read the full package of articles accompanying this series at slate.com/bythepeople.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
The deal also comes as Riyadh deals with renewed attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have announced an accompanying blockade of Saudi ports.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
In an accompanying video, Mr. Robbins explained his post, saying, “Gloves off. You wanna play dirty, we’re gonna play dirty.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
My mother followed right behind the pastor, accompanying his rhythmic prayer with hallelujah whispers, and my father’s manly but, I guess, godly grunts, all eventually—finally—leading to an amen.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
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.
