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
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.
The numbers fluctuate over the years, but, as a broad trend, the improvement in pass completion and the number of passes made per game over the past decade was accompanied by a significant rise in goals scored and, in particular, the proportion of goals scored from open play. Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 The Labubu craze doesn’t seem to be dying down any time soon, as new, mainstream, and rare editions are all in high demand, and fans often look for clothing and event advent calendars to accompany their cute yet scary figurines. Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2025 City officials hope the slogan, and the accompanying logo, help rally pride in the community and become a lasting part of Santa Clara’s identity. Grace Hase, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025 Our commitment is to continue accompanying the bereaved families, the troops, the wounded, both in body and in spirit, as well as the survivors of captivity. Rachel Wolf , Yonat Friling, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accompany

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

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Cite this Entry

“Accompany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accompany. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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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