accelerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause faster or greater activity, development, progress, advancement, etc., in.
to accelerate economic growth.
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to hasten the occurrence of.
to accelerate the fall of a government.
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Mechanics. to change the velocity of (a body) or the rate of (motion); cause to undergo acceleration.
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to reduce the time required for (a course of study) by intensifying the work, eliminating detail, etc.
verb (used without object)
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to move or go faster; increase in speed.
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to progress or develop faster.
verb
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to go, occur, or cause to go or occur more quickly; speed up
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(tr) to cause to happen sooner than expected
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(tr) to increase the velocity of (a body, reaction, etc); cause acceleration
Other Word Forms
- accelerable adjective
- acceleratedly adverb
- accelerative adjective
- overaccelerate verb
- reaccelerate verb
- self-accelerating adjective
- unaccelerated adjective
Etymology
Origin of accelerate
First recorded in 1515–25; from Latin accelerātus “sped up,” past participle of accelerāre “to speed up,” from ac- ac- + celerāre “to hasten, hurry” (from celer “swift”)
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.
L’Oreal is ready to accelerate its growth in an increasingly complex environment, the CEO said in an earnings call on Friday.
“We start 2026 from a position of strength. That strength gives us the confidence to raise our ambition and accelerate our progress,” Chief Executive Paul Thwaite said.
Investing in core technology and accelerating overseas expansion as it looks to dramatically expand the size of its fleet.
But strong growth and stable hiring aren’t conditions that typically prompt a central bank to accelerate easing, particularly when inflation has been above target for nearly five years.
From Barron's
But strong growth and stable hiring aren’t conditions that typically prompt a central bank to accelerate easing, particularly when inflation has been above target for nearly five years.
From Barron's
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.
