acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌse-lə-ˈrā-shən 

(ˌ)ak-

1

a

: the act or process of moving faster or happening more quickly : the act or process of accelerating

rapid acceleration

the acceleration of economic growth

b

: ability to accelerate

a car with good acceleration

2

physics : the rate of change of velocity with respect to time

broadly : change of velocity

Examples of acceleration in a Sentence

The car delivers quick acceleration.

There has been some acceleration in economic growth.

There has been an acceleration in economic growth.

Recent Examples on the Web

Microsoft claims that the NPU inside the Snapdragon X Elite is nearly two times faster at AI acceleration tasks than Apple’s M3 Neural Engine on the cross-platform Procyon AI Computer Vision benchmark. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 30 May 2024

Thwaites is roughly the size of Florida, so any acceleration of its long-term erosion could have profound effects on everything from marine life and ocean currents to the future of low-lying communities from Seal Beach to the Maldives. —Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 24 May 2024

Movavi uses graphics hardware acceleration with all three major GPUs: Intel, Nvidia, and AMD. —PCMAG, 16 May 2024

The gear ratios remain the same as those of the outgoing Vantage, but the e-diff’s final drive ratio has been shortened to deliver faster acceleration. —Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 12 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French acceleratiun, borrowed from Latin accelerātiōn-, accelerātiō, from accelerāre "to accelerate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing acceleration

• acceleration of gravity
• acceleration principle
• angular acceleration

Kids Definition

acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈrā-shən 

ak-

1

: the act or process of accelerating : the state of being accelerated

2

: the rate of change of velocity with respect to time

also : change in velocity

Medical Definition

acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈrā-shən, (ˌ)ak- 

1

: the act or process of accelerating : the state of being accelerated

2

: change of velocity

also : the rate of this change

3

: advancement in mental growth or achievement beyond the average for one's age