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
-
(tr) to occur, coexist, or be associated with
-
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
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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:
Neither Russia, Ukraine nor the United States have said who would monitor the truce or given details about the humanitarian operation set to accompany it.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
Knowing Seyfried will eventually show up lets the viewer watch without shock, processing every moment she’s on screen without the last-minute textual analysis that would otherwise accompany a surprise like this.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
The researchers say the findings build on earlier observations of facial signals in conversation by showing that such movements do not simply accompany speech but actively shape how it is understood.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
I got someone to accompany it and I told a director at Air France that it was for Jackie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
There was an invitation from an uncle and aunt to accompany them to New York.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
In one video, she accompanies a food delivery worker through his day to explain a proposal for social protection for digital platform workers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
These findings suggest that the way a sweetener influences gut microbes may depend not only on the sweetener itself but also on what accompanies it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Police allege that someone was able to access the goods by showing a fake airway bill - a document that accompanies shipped items.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Often, it helps to see a visual representation of your finances in black and white so you can deal with the hard facts, rather than the swirl of anxiety that accompanies them.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
A thing which troubles me: I am sensible of a silence that accompanies me in all conversation.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Social media was soon littered with memes of McAfee accompanied by rolls of a soft brand of bathroom tissue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The novel begins when a teenager named Rocky, accompanied by his aunt and legal guardian, Helen, finds a loaded handgun while hunting pheasant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
However, the apparent benefit was accompanied by a significant safety concern.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Antonelli is typically accompanied by his father, Marco, at grands prix, but he said this weekend he had brought other people with him as well to help keep him in the right frame of mind.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
This time, he was accompanied by a Yiddish-speaking officer who translated him word for word, even the simple questions.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Next came an awkward exchange at the hospital, where the employee had to answer a standard question about whether she felt safe with the man accompanying her and describe their relationship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The accompanying press release was considerably more cheerful about the whole affair.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
In an accompanying editorial, Robert M. Vincent, a former Associate Administrator for the U.S.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
The atmosphere resembled a football terrace, with a drummer and trumpeter accompanying fans singing Sheffield Wednesday songs.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
It's a term used when an accompanying child on an application turns twenty-one before the case has been approved.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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