accompany

verb

ac·​com·​pa·​ny ə-ˈkəmp-nē How to pronounce accompany (audio)
-ˈkämp-;
-ˈkəm-pə-,
-ˈkäm- How to pronounce accompany (audio)
accompanied; accompanying

transitive verb

1
: to go with as an associate or companion
She accompanied me to the store.
2
: to perform an accompaniment to or for
He will be accompanying her on the piano.
3
a
: to cause to be in association
accompanied their advice with a warning
b
: to be in association with
the pictures that accompany the text

intransitive verb

music : to perform an accompaniment

Examples of accompany in a Sentence

She will accompany me to the store. Ten adults accompanied the class on their field trip. Children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult to see this movie. A delicious sauce accompanied the grilled fish. He will be accompanying her on the piano.
Recent Examples on the Web Try provably fair games, make instant withdrawals, and claim up to a 5 BTC welcome bonus accompanied by 200 free spins. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 That could include a panel discussion accompanied by an open bar, catered lunches while someone presents on a topic not directly related to work, or bringing in guest speakers for conversations where employees can also mingle, Rowe says. Trey Williams, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Spring Glass Blowing Festival Step into the world of glass blowing artistry at the 13th annual Glass Blossom & Bloom Spring Glass Blowing Festival, featuring live demonstrations accompanied by playful and educational commentary. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 Greenwood will accompany the multihyphenate Cave on a solo tour of Australia, set to kick off April 25 with the first of a three-night stand at the MCEC Plenary Melbourne. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 With the world’s attention drawn to the rising death toll and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, refugee camps have become the West Bank front of the Israel-Hamas war, with a spike in militancy accompanying the increasingly destructive raids. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024 The boutique’s experiential James Cameron room, with walls covered in mirrors and screens, reveals the Deepsea model that accompanied the expedition. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 The Dune 2 star hosts Saturday Night Live for the third time on March 9, accompanied by musical guest Ariana Grande. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Every nation will grapple with the social and economic factors that accompany a graying population. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accompany.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English accompanien "to make (someone) a companion or associate, be in company with, attend," borrowed from Anglo-French acumpainer, acompaigner "to join together, frequent, keep the company of," from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + cumpaing, cumpaignun companion entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of accompany was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near accompany

Cite this Entry

“Accompany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accompany. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

accompany

verb
ac·​com·​pa·​ny ə-ˈkəmp-(ə-)nē How to pronounce accompany (audio)
accompanied; accompanying
1
: to go with or attend as a companion
2
: to perform an accompaniment to or for
3
: to occur at the same time as or along with
a thunderstorm accompanied by high winds
Etymology

Middle English accompanien "to accompany," from early French acompaigner (same meaning), from a- "to" and cumpaing "companion," from Latin companio "companion" — related to companion, company

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