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:
"After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish," Newsom said.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
To accomplish this, liver cells rely on structures called LDL receptors.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
Can’t we just enjoy the fact they’re the first Bruins team to accomplish this in more than 20 years?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Users can describe business goals, then plugins in ChatGPT bring together the right tools and information to help them accomplish what they want to do, Oracle said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
It was the very thing he’d plotted to accomplish, what he’d thought he’d wanted all along.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"Caleb's work accomplishes all of this and more, and on a massive evolutionary scale."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Like all Fed Chairmen, Mr. Warsh will be judged on whether he accomplishes the fundamental duty of regaining and maintaining stable prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Being more intentional about your job search accomplishes two goals.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 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
Indeed, it is more or less taken as modern gospel that profound scientific truth frequently accomplishes the opposite of what Epicurus recommended, costing us peace of mind.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
For "Franc", who initiated the event, the mission was accomplished: "This is what we wanted, to come and show Senegalese culture, our pride. Wrestling, it's our sport," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Traditionally, researchers have accomplished this by accelerating gold nuclei to enormous speeds and crashing them into one another.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
"But I'm walking away feeling super proud and like I've really accomplished something here."
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
He may not single-handedly solve homicides in America, but today it seems he’s accomplished his more modest goal of touching at least one Angeleno with his words.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Haupt was powerfully built and an accomplished fighter in both wrestling and boxing.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Right now, rates in the current range of 3.75% to 4% don’t seem to be accomplishing that, Harker said on CNBC.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026
He spoke about his many fixed footballing principles but believes the route to accomplishing those ideas must be shaped by the players at his disposal.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 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
She appears to be accomplishing all three of those goals.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
Back in America, a seventeen-year-old boy told his friends that the flight had inspired him to put all his efforts into accomplishing something similar.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
