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 growthb : ability to accelerate a car with good acceleration
2 physics : the rate of change of velocity with respect to time; broadly : change of velocity
Read the Latest from M-W
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 of acceleration from the Web
-
The base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder makes 245 horsepower and, despite its casual acceleration, should provide adequate power for most customers.
-
That’s because big creatures have more of the type of muscle cells used for acceleration.
-
This standard power plant is smooth with acceleration in the middle of the pack.
-
President Donald Trump’s election ushered in hopes for much faster U.S. economic growth, but in Charlotte and elsewhere such an acceleration remains elusive, some economists say.
-
For Konica Minolta, the acquisition would confirm the acceleration of efforts to diversify beyond photocopiers and printers, areas where revenue and profit have been shrinking.
-
As an example, Mr. Grazier and Mr. Sprey state that the Electro Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is fine in theory -- the actual theory being that the acceleration on an EMALS is much more controllable than with a steam catapult.
-
Additionally, only Kaby Lake Macs support hardware acceleration for HEVC videos with 10-bit color.
-
And across the globe, for reasons that largely confound economists, countries are struggling to generate the acceleration of worker productivity that normally underpins prosperity.
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.
Origin and Etymology of acceleration
borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French acceleratiun, borrowed from Latin accelerātiōn-, accelerātiō, from accelerāre “to accelerate” + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns
Other Physics Terms
ACCELERATION Defined for Kids
acceleration
playDefinition of acceleration for Students
: the act or process of speeding up
Medical Dictionary
acceleration
playMedical Definition of acceleration
1: the act or process of accelerating : the state of being accelerated
2: change of velocity; also : the rate of this change
3: advancement in mental growth or achievement beyond the average for one's age
Learn More about acceleration
-
See words that rhyme with acceleration Spanish Central: Translation of acceleration Nglish: Translation of acceleration for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of acceleration for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about acceleration
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up acceleration? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!