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Synonyms

accelerate

American

[ak-sel-uh-reyt] / ækˈsɛl əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

to cause faster or greater activity, development, progress, advancement, etc., in.

to accelerate economic growth.
to hasten the occurrence of.

to accelerate the fall of a government.
Mechanics. to change the velocity of (a body) or the rate of (motion); cause to undergo acceleration.
to reduce the time required for (a course of study) by intensifying the work, eliminating detail, etc.

verb (used without object)

to move or go faster; increase in speed.
to progress or develop faster.

accelerate British

/ ækˈsɛləˌreɪt /

verb

to go, occur, or cause to go or occur more quickly; speed up
(tr) to cause to happen sooner than expected
(tr) to increase the velocity of (a body, reaction, etc); cause acceleration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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”)

Explanation

Accelerate means to speed up. A car accelerates when you step on the gas. You can accelerate the process of getting a visa if you happen to know someone who works in the consulate. The fastest Amtrak trains are called the Acela line, a made-up word intended to suggest accelerate and therefore communicate that these trains are fast. If you are standing close to one when it zooms by, you may find yourself having an accelerated heart rate — they move pretty fast!

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Vocabulary lists containing accelerate

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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.

While Kim Jong Il visited China repeatedly and relied on Beijing's backing, his son moved quickly to accelerate North Korea's nuclear programme.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Ng noted that if Beijing "truly wants to accelerate" the internationalisation of China's yuan currency, "it will need to accept freer cross-border capital movement".

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

And as price pressures have started to accelerate once again, bitcoin is proving that it isn’t much of an inflation hedge, despite its reputation.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

In May, Abu Dhabi said it would accelerate plans for a second pipeline along the route that would double that export capacity by 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

If we lived in an interstellar spacecraft that could accelerate at 1 g, we would find ourselves in a perfectly natural environment.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023