Definition of decelerate
decelerated
;decelerating
transitive verb
1 : to reduce the speed of : slow down decelerate a car
2 : to decrease the rate of progress of decelerate growth decelerate soil erosion
intransitive verb
: to move at decreasing speed
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Examples of decelerate in a Sentence
she decelerated the car as we entered the school zone
Recent Examples of decelerate from the Web
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Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time, caused by objects accelerating or decelerating through space.
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Every clash decelerates mid-movement for an ultra-slow motion close-up before returning to regular speed.
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The Fed’s preferred gauge of price pressures decelerated to an annual pace of 1.5 percent in April, leaving the risks to the central bank’s year-end forecast for inflation tilted to the downside.
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Upon reaching Earth, an Earth Landing Vehicle would separate and decelerate in the atmosphere to return the crew to the Earth’s surface.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decelerate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of decelerate
de- + accelerate
First Known Use: 1899
DECELERATE Defined for English Language Learners
decelerate
playDefinition of decelerate for English Language Learners
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: to move slower : to lose speed
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: to cause (something) to happen more slowly
DECELERATE Defined for Kids
decelerate
playDefinition of decelerate for Students
decelerated
;decelerating
: to slow down The car decelerated at the yellow light.
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about decelerate
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See words that rhyme with decelerate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for decelerate Spanish Central: Translation of decelerate Nglish: Translation of decelerate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of decelerate for Arabic speakers
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