accompanied; accompanying
Synonyms of accompany

transitive verb

1
: to go with as an associate or companion
She accompanied me to the store.
2
: to perform an accompaniment to or for
He will be accompanying her on the piano.
3
a
: to cause to be in association
accompanied their advice with a warning
b
: to be in association with
the pictures that accompany the text

intransitive verb

music : to perform an accompaniment

Examples of accompany in a Sentence

She will accompany me to the store. Ten adults accompanied the class on their field trip. Children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult to see this movie. A delicious sauce accompanied the grilled fish. He will be accompanying her on the piano.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nielsen has taken great pains to caution that there is no guarantee that ratings gains will accompany these changes, which are being implemented to further improve the accuracy of its data gathering. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Drinkwitz has said Hardy is in good spirits throughout his recovery, even having his son accompany him to rehab. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026 The news was accompanied by a rare photo from 1968, taken during the famous Mad Day Out photoshoot, also featuring Martha, Paul McCartney’s sheepdog. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026 An aide explained the Hillside lawmaker was accompanying his child to their first day of school. Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accompany

Word History

Etymology

Middle English accompanien "to make (someone) a companion or associate, be in company with, attend," borrowed from Anglo-French acumpainer, acompaigner "to join together, frequent, keep the company of," from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + cumpaing, cumpaignun companion entry 1

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of accompany was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accompany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accompany. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

accompany

verb
accompanied; accompanying
1
: to go with or attend as a companion
2
: to perform an accompaniment to or for
3
: to occur at the same time as or along with
a thunderstorm accompanied by high winds
Etymology

Middle English accompanien "to accompany," from early French acompaigner (same meaning), from a- "to" and cumpaing "companion," from Latin companio "companion" — related to companion, company

More from Merriam-Webster on accompany

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster