acceleration

noun

ac·cel·er·a·tion | \ ik-ˌse-lə-ˈrā-shən

, (ˌ)ak-\

Definition of acceleration

1a : the act or process of moving faster or happening more quickly : the act or process of accelerating rapid acceleration the acceleration of economic growth

b : ability to accelerate a car with good acceleration

2 physics : the rate of change of velocity with respect to time broadly : change of velocity

Examples of acceleration in a Sentence

The car delivers quick acceleration. There has been some acceleration in economic growth. There has been an acceleration in economic growth.

Recent Examples on the Web

Parents of gifted children in the rest of the country know aggressive acceleration complicates school scheduling and takes administrators out of their comfort zones. — Jay Mathews, Washington Post, "Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this school district?," 6 July 2019 Boyle, especially in the early scenes, provides acceleration; at the exact moment when Jack, standing at a bus stop, properly understands what the future holds, the camera hurries toward him like an excited kid. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "“Yesterday” Wants to Hold Your Hand," 28 June 2019 The agency says the strongest acceleration in the refugee population happened between 2012 and 2015, due to the war in Syria. — Luiz Romero, Quartz, "The UN’s latest report on refugees has one tiny bit of good news," 19 June 2019 Mack has good quickness and acceleration off the ball. — Mike Preston, baltimoresun.com, "Preston: Ravens need rookie WRs Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin to exceed expectations," 18 June 2019 SlideNext Slide Further Reading Safety first, last, and always: The Subaru Ascent, reviewed Beyond the strained acceleration, the Forester is a pleasant drive. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "It watches you drive: Subaru Forester review," 11 June 2019 One set of Volkswagen's tests uses large strips of LEDs inside a car that glow red or green in concert with the car's slowing and acceleration to help occupants gain a sense of anticipation for a self-driving car's moves. — Alexander Stoklosa, Car and Driver, "Volkswagen Is Testing Anti-Vomit Technology for Autonomous Cars," 28 May 2019 His 1915 general theory of relativity built on the notion that gravity and acceleration are not just easily confused, but are one and the same. — Devin Powell, Discover Magazine, "How to Understand Einstein's Theory of Gravity," 24 May 2019 The study measures rotational velocity and acceleration to evaluate helmets. — Barry Wilner, The Seattle Times, "NFL, union encouraged by helmet safety improvements," 12 Apr. 2019

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