accelerate

verb

ac·​cel·​er·​ate ik-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce accelerate (audio)
ak-
accelerated; accelerating

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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)

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 Organizations should design leadership programs where AI accelerates self-awareness and development while ensuring that empathy and connection remain core. Alejandro Bravo, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Take toys and games, a sizable market worth $130 billion annually where consumers continue to spend liberally, and growth recently accelerated. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024 Share [Findings] A period of global coolness 4,200 years ago accelerated the diversification of japonica rice. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 This rule also strengthens protections by accelerating a shift away from that practice — which risks inaccurate data sharing and the spread of login credentials, according to Chopra. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for accelerate 

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.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin accelerātus, past participle of accelerāre "to add speed to, hasten the occurrence of, go quickly," from ad- ad- + celerāre "to hasten," verbal derivative of celer "swift, speedy," perhaps going back to *keli-li-/ri-, derivative from the Indo-European verbal base *kelh1- "set in motion," whence also Greek (o)kéllō, (o)kéllein "to bring (a ship, person) to shore," Lithuanian keliù, kélti "to settle (farm animals) on a different pasture," Tocharian A källāskeṃ "(they) bring," śala "(s/he) brought," Tocharian B kalṣtar "(s/he) goads, drives (animals)"

Note: This etymology largely follows D. Adams, A Dictionary of Tocharian B, Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Amsterdam/New York, 2013) and I. Seržant, "Die idg. Wurzeln *kel1- 'etw. bewegen' und *kelh3- 'sich erheben'," Indogermanische Forschungen, Band 113 (2008), pp. 59-75, though Seržant does not mention Latin celer, and Adams, presumably by mistake, switches *h1 and *h3. The reconstruction departs from Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben (2nd edition, p. 348), where a laryngeal-free base *kel- "drive, urge" (antreiben) is assumed. All the above authors also adduce Greek kélomai, kélesthai "to call out, call upon (a god), order, compel"; the "call" sense of this verb, however, may have been primary. See also clonus, hold entry 1.

First Known Use

circa 1522, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of accelerate was circa 1522

Dictionary Entries Near accelerate

Cite this Entry

“Accelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accelerate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

accelerate

verb
ac·​cel·​er·​ate ik-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce accelerate (audio)
ak-
accelerated; accelerating
1
: to bring about earlier
accelerated our departure
2
: to move or cause to move faster
accelerative
-ˌrāt-iv
adjective

Medical Definition

accelerate

verb
ac·​cel·​er·​ate ik-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt, ak- How to pronounce accelerate (audio)
accelerated; accelerating

transitive verb

: to cause to move faster or speed up
accelerated speech and motor activity in manic patients
also : to cause to undergo acceleration

intransitive verb

: to move faster : gain speed

Legal Definition

accelerate

verb
ac·​cel·​er·​ate
accelerated; accelerating

transitive verb

: 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)

intransitive verb

: to enforce an acceleration clause
held that the creditor's right to accelerate was suspendedJ. J. White and R. S. Summers
acceleration noun

More from Merriam-Webster on accelerate

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