accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
ik-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt 
ak-
accelerated; accelerating
1
: to move faster : to gain speed
The car slowly accelerated.
The pace of change has accelerated in recent months.
2
: to progress from grade to grade more rapidly than usual : to follow a speeded-up educational program
1
: to bring about at an earlier time
Circumstances accelerated their departure.
2
: to cause to move faster
accelerated his steps
also
: to cause to undergo acceleration
3
a
: to hasten the progress or development of
accelerate our efforts
b
: increase
accelerate food production
4
a
: to enable (a student) to complete a course in less than usual time
b
: to speed up (something, such as a course of study)
Synonyms
Examples of accelerate in a Sentence
She stepped on the gas and the car accelerated.
The plane accelerated down the runway.
She stepped on the gas and accelerated the car.
He says that cutting taxes will help to accelerate economic growth.
The rate of economic growth has continued to accelerate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Industry representatives across countries have argued such programs must now evolve swiftly to match the demands of a rapidly changing marketplace, one where the push for low-carbon technologies and the pace of digitalization are accelerating the demand for new, specialized skills.
—
Miglė Petrauskaitė, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
In addition to losing customers in its own continent, Germany is likely to lose out in its other export markets to BYD cars, accelerating its movement toward a more import-intensive trading dynamic.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
About Brand Innovators The goal of Brand Innovators is to accelerate the digital transformation of the marketing and media industries.
—Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
The Biden administration recently used that power to accelerate student loan cancellation offered through a new federal repayment plan.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
But the ambitious turnaround plan encountered turbulence amid shifts in advertising, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, print circulation losses and last year’s Hollywood strikes.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Compounding the challenge for Washington is the reality that Iran has accelerated the development of its nuclear program since Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
The study wasn’t designed to answer questions about why these cancer types seemed to have the strongest ties to accelerated aging, but Ruiyi Tian, the graduate student who led the research, has some theories.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
It’s widely credited with giving him the turbo boost that accelerated him toward being what can reasonably be considered a superstar of the genre.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
Miglė Petrauskaitė, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
In addition to losing customers in its own continent, Germany is likely to lose out in its other export markets to BYD cars, accelerating its movement toward a more import-intensive trading dynamic.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
About Brand Innovators The goal of Brand Innovators is to accelerate the digital transformation of the marketing and media industries.
—Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
The Biden administration recently used that power to accelerate student loan cancellation offered through a new federal repayment plan.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
But the ambitious turnaround plan encountered turbulence amid shifts in advertising, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, print circulation losses and last year’s Hollywood strikes.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Compounding the challenge for Washington is the reality that Iran has accelerated the development of its nuclear program since Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
The study wasn’t designed to answer questions about why these cancer types seemed to have the strongest ties to accelerated aging, but Ruiyi Tian, the graduate student who led the research, has some theories.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
It’s widely credited with giving him the turbo boost that accelerated him toward being what can reasonably be considered a superstar of the genre.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accelerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near accelerate
Cite this Entry
“Accelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accelerate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
ik-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt
ak-
accelerated; accelerating
1
: to bring about earlier
accelerated our departure
2
: to move or cause to move faster
accelerative
adjective
-ˌrāt-iv
Medical Definition
accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
ik-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt, ak-
accelerated; accelerating
: to cause to move faster or speed up
accelerated speech and motor activity in manic patients
also
: to cause to undergo acceleration
: to move faster : gain speed
Legal Definition
accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
accelerated; accelerating
: to bring about at an earlier time: as
a
: to advance (the maturity date of a security agreement) so that payment of the debt in full is due immediately see also acceleration clause
b
: to cause (a future interest in property) to vest by removing the preceding interests (as by failure or premature termination)
: to enforce an acceleration clause
held that the creditor's right to accelerate was suspended—J. J. White and R. S. Summers
J. J. White and R. S. Summers
acceleration
noun
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