acceleration

noun

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

(ˌ)ak-

1

a

: 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

This fake force will be proportional to the acceleration of the frame, but in the opposite direction. —Rhett Allain, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024

Businesses today want employees who not only bring ideas to fruition but who lead the process end to end: from idea to invention to incubation to acceleration. —Sarah Davanzo, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024

For that tournament, there was a sensor in the ball to track its acceleration but that won’t be the case in the Premier League, which looks set to be more aligned with the system used by UEFA in the Champions League. —Steve Douglas, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024

However, the acceleration comes at a bad time: Wednesday’s hotter-than-expected Consumer Price Index stoked concerns that both inflation and interest rates will remain higher for longer. —Alicia Wallace, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024

This is facilitated by a full titanium build, which lightens components while simultaneously reducing the negative effects of shock and acceleration. —Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024

The hiring far surpassed the average number of jobs added each month over the previous year, suggesting an acceleration in performance for one of the key metrics used to assess the nation's economic health. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024

Roth’s promotion is part of the Academy’s acceleration of its global ambitions. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024

More than 17,000 head acceleration events by hundreds of players from the under-13 age group to adults were analyzed. —Jeffrey Tomik, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French acceleratiun, borrowed from Latin accelerātiōn-, accelerātiō, from accelerāre "to accelerate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing acceleration

• acceleration of gravity
• acceleration principle
• angular acceleration

Kids Definition

acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈrā-shən 

ak-

1

: the act or process of accelerating : the state of being accelerated

2

: the rate of change of velocity with respect to time

also : change in velocity

Medical Definition

acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈrā-shən, (ˌ)ak- 

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