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:
To accomplish this, the researchers used wearable fitness trackers to collect information over several months.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
"I support closing this loophole, and will work with the New York State Legislature to accomplish this."
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Higher long-term rates can restrain spending and investment, doing some of the work that Fed rate increases are intended to accomplish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Charter Amendment PRK would accomplish that by doubling the minimum budget allocation set aside for the department, which oversees the upkeep of green spaces, playing fields and even senior centers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Bringing this little boy to justice was hardly the impressive feat she needed to accomplish, but she was feeling desperate.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Being more intentional about your job search accomplishes two goals.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
This isn’t meant to reduce Bertei’s work or what she accomplishes; it’s meant to point out that this is how it should actually happen all of the time, but rarely does.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 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
But when one of his precious sports teams accomplishes something, he has the banner made professionally, rolled up, and revealed in dramatic fashion in front of six hundred cheering kids.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Seated across from me, in her pearls and charcoal pantsuit, is Neera Tanden—one of the most accomplished political agents in America, and someone to whom I have just posed a deeply offensive question.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Scientists accomplished a similar feat decades ago in a tiny roundworm, but that animal has a relatively simple body with far fewer cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
This can be accomplished only with new nuclear energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Bottas is an accomplished cyclist and earned a spot at the Gravel World Championships after finishing fifth in his age group at a qualifying event in the Czech Republic during Formula 1's summer hiatus.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
This obliges us to reconsider just exactly what it was that he had accomplished.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“I feel confident we’re accomplishing both of those goals.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 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
“I mean they’re paying me and I just wasn’t accomplishing anything over there.”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
