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

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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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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 Earlier in August that year, the company was selected in the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program designed to accelerate reactor demonstrations. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026 Those behind by two months or more also accelerated considerably, moving to more than 8% from 5% in 2022. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 The need-to-know this morning Bristol Myers Squibb said Zenbexus, recently granted FDA accelerated approval to treat multiple myeloma, reduced the risk of disease progression by 51% compared to standard therapy in a Phase 3 trial. — Elaine Chen, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026 The consortium is meant to accelerate breast cancer research and increase access to innovative clinical trials. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 8 Oct. 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
  • Over the next three years, Movistar Plus plans to increase its annual output of Spanish originals from eight to 16 series, alongside another 10 titles through co-production and rights acquisition agreements.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The GroundBreaker 1 selection comes as the Department of War places increasing emphasis on rapidly fielding autonomous and robotic systems capable of operating alongside warfighters.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Manzanillo, a major port city in Mexico, rushed to close beaches yesterday in preparation.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Donald noted that the Rams had pass-rushing success in the last few years without him or Garrett.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of rush
Verb
  • Good Time Charlie has Haddad shifting into a study of many characters at once and expanding in scale.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The National Hurricane Center's official forecast is not one specific line, but rather a cone of uncertainty that expands with time, up to five days out.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of expand
Verb
  • The price of Brent crude oil rose to $106 per barrel this morning.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The milestone arrives at a precarious time for Australia’s festival sector, which has seen a wave of cancellations and closures in recent years amid rising costs and softening ticket sales.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of rise
Verb
  • Mockingbird works to push Vietnamese and Southeast Asian films into markets outside their home territories.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Tarrant County Commissioners Court agenda for Tuesday notably does not include the resolution, but Lawrence said the group will keep pushing for the resolution through public comment.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of push
Verb
  • By definition, neither party enjoys a clear advantage in these contests, so both will look to augment their base support with the votes of independents.
    — Julio Borquez, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • As The Economist recently reported, this began to change as local sources were augmented by federal and state spending.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of augment
Verb
  • The ballad finds Fontaines’ Grian Chatten and Rosalía trading lines over a moody acoustic strum that repeatedly swells with strings and clattering drums.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Global manufacturers increased their purchases of components and raw materials in September as demand swelled.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of swell
Verb
  • All of us owe the foursome a thanks for hastening the demise of the old Latino political machines that birthed them and kept the city stuck in tribalism for too long.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The inference was that Jamie had planted a disparaging story about his older brother to hasten his exit.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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