accelerate

verb

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ac·cel·er·ate | \ ik-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt

, ak- \

accelerated; accelerating

Definition of accelerate

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

3a : to hasten the progress or development of accelerate our efforts

b : increase accelerate food production

4a : to enable (a student) to complete a course in less than usual time

b : to speed up (something, such as a course of study)

Other Words from accelerate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about accelerate

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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 With the pool of infections getting bigger every week, health experts are concerned that colder weather, as well as the holiday season, could further accelerate case growth. — Glenn Howatt, Star Tribune, "1,632 new Minnesota COVID-19 infections as case growth outpaces testing," 19 Oct. 2020 The move toward renewable power could accelerate if Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential election in November, analysts say, as the Democratic nominee has proposed extending tax credits to promote the adoption of green technologies. — Tim Mullaney, WSJ, "Investors, Beware: Utility Stocks Could Become Less Predictable," 18 Oct. 2020 Biden’s climate plan would only accelerate that outcome, with massive investments in wind, solar and battery storage giving those energy sources a leg up. — Jennifer A Dlouhy, Bloomberg.com, "Biden Won’t Ban Fracking, But His Clean Grid Would Choke Gas," 17 Oct. 2020 For campuses that originally planned to open but then shut down, housing predicaments can accelerate relationships. — Washington Post, "College students are still finding romance in a pandemic, through Zoom crushes and actual dates," 13 Oct. 2020 This term that pace of change could accelerate – especially if Judge Barrett is confirmed. — Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, "With Amy Coney Barrett, a once-fringe legal philosophy goes mainstream," 6 Oct. 2020 Third don’t accelerate the flight of capital by implementing new overreaching taxes on businesses. — Anchorage Daily News, "Candidate Q&A: Alaska House District 27 — Lance Pruitt," 3 Oct. 2020 That money would accelerate construction to a more palatable 15-year timeline. — Lillian Reed, baltimoresun.com, "Study of Baltimore County high school buildings calls for $1.2 billion in renovations and expansions, but not rebuilds," 30 Sep. 2020 The pandemic has plunged aviation into its worst ever slump and is expected to accelerate the shift towards renewable forms of energy, as governments use the opportunity to promote a green recovery. — Hanna Ziady, CNN, "Airbus wants to build zero-emission planes by 2035. Here's how," 21 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accelerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.