accelerate

verb

ik-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce accelerate (audio)
Definition of acceleratenext
1
as in to increase
to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number toy purchases accelerate dramatically during the Christmas season

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rush
to cause to move or proceed fast or faster we accelerated preparations for the hurricane upon hearing weather reports that it had gained speed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to expand
to make greater in size, amount, or number the company accelerated its advertising purchases even as the economy appeared to be in recession

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of accelerate Tocci, the Johns Hopkins professor, noted that by pairing nationalist positions on migration and identity with tactical ability, Meloni helped accelerate the mainstreaming of Europe’s hard right. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 In turn, red states redrew districts with fewer majority-Black seats, but Black voter turnout has accelerated in more recent Southern primaries, according to a VoteHub study published in July. — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Her new employer is preparing to spend billions building computing capacity as demand for AI infrastructure accelerates. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026 George, who became Army chief of staff under President Biden, regularly spoke about the need to accelerate development of new drone systems and get them in the hands of regular soldiers, not just specialized units. — Konstantin Toropin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accelerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accelerate
  1. increase
  2. rush
  3. expand
  4. rise
  5. push
  6. augment
  7. swell
  8. hasten
Verb
  • By increasing the carrier density in the neighbouring graphene bilayer, the team progressively weakened the Coulomb interactions between electrons in the magic-angle graphene.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The cores or plugs removed from the lawn during aeration actually increase the success of overseeding by providing more direct contact between the seeds and the soil.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Paramedics with the Liberty Fire Department rushed to his aid and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Outside the emergency room entrance, Katie Winschief floated above her body as paramedics put her in a wheelchair and rushed her toward the hospital doors.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of rush
Verb
  • The View From Beijing In a departure from business strategies of the past, this current cohort of Chinese companies has a mandate to expand internationally, according to academic Karim Alwadi, based in Beijing.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Opened on New Year’s Day in 1926, the hotel was expanded by famed society architect Maurice Fatio, who managed to maintain intimacy despite imposing a larger footprint.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of expand
Verb
  • But rising bond yields make safer government debt more attractive relative to stocks, while also reducing the present value investors assign to companies’ future earnings.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, waste is still piling up and resale’s environmental footprint is rising.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rise
Verb
  • Adebo could still push Banks, while Phillips has secured the slot job.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That more than doubled its stock, pushing its market cap above $9 billion, adding to the bottom line of Thrive and Kushner, who is vice chairman and has personal holdings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of push
Verb
  • In future windows, a younger, faster centre-back feels required to augment an ageing cohort, with Burn and Fabian Schar both 34 and only Malick Thiaw possessing much pace.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Every solution is designed to augment human expertise rather than replace it, ensuring AI strengthens decision-making while maintaining accountability, transparency, and trust.
    — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of augment
Verb
  • Each morning at the crack of dawn, in one of the great Instagram moments of our time, 165 enormous balloons begin to swell in Cappadocia's half-light, their burners briefly illuminating the valley floor.
    — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But the administration, led by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, has pushed ahead, recruiting bankers to help wield a loan authority that has swelled from $1 billion to $200 billion thanks to the recent Republican party-line tax bill.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of swell
Verb
  • Warmer temperatures may have hastened the collapse that led to Nepal’s deadly flooding, with melting snow able to seep into cracks in the glacier and mountain rocks, weakening them, Shugar said.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Clinton deployed the threat of withholding billions in aid to nix the Hanke plan, and a weak rupiah hastened Suharto’s departure months later.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of hasten

Browse Nearby Words

acceding (to)
accelerate
accelerated
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Cite this Entry

“Accelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accelerate. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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