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)

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 It’s time for real partnerships between local and national governments in order to accelerate a green recovery. — Anne Hidalgo, Time, "Cities May Be Our Greatest Hope in the Face of Climate Change and the Pandemic," 19 Feb. 2021 This is not the first coronavirus mutation to accelerate transmission. — Tyler Van Dyke, Washington Examiner, "Boris Johnson holds crisis meeting as UK coronavirus variant leads to travel bans and plunging stocks," 21 Dec. 2020 Still, Harrington believes forgiving debt would accelerate the fragile economic recovery. — Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, "She owes $581,000 in student loans, and the bill is coming due," 8 Dec. 2020 The pressure for the FDA to accelerate the timing intensified Wednesday when the United Kingdom became the first country to approve the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. — NBC News, "When will Americans actually get the Covid vaccine? Officials offer different timelines.," 3 Dec. 2020 But the main theory in Brussels is that this was designed to raise the stakes in the negotiations, gain diplomatic attention and accelerate engagement at the highest political level. — Stephen Castle, New York Times, "For U.K.’s Boris Johnson, Hardball Tactics Seem the Only Way to a Brexit Deal," 26 Sep. 2020 Harris, a grandfather from Talladega whose father was the local pharmacist and uncle was a small-town doctor, is as eager as anyone to accelerate the pace of vaccine rollout. — al, "How long will it take to vaccinate Alabama and how can we speed it up?," 7 Feb. 2021 Economists say things will likely accelerate as more people get vaccinated and pandemic restrictions on businesses ease up. — Eve Sneider, Wired, "A New Vaccine, Protection Against Strains, and More Coronavirus News," 5 Feb. 2021 Officials also said the work of actually ending some of the Trump policies will accelerate now that Mr. Mayorkas has been confirmed. — New York Times, "Biden Issues Orders to Dismantle Trump’s ‘America First’ Immigration Agenda," 2 Feb. 2021

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.

History and Etymology for accelerate

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 base of Greek kélomai, kelésthai "urge, exhort," kelēt-, kélēs "swift horse, charger"

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