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decelerate

verb
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de·​cel·​er·​ate | \ (ˌ)dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio) \
decelerated; decelerating

Definition of decelerate

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
Other Words from decelerate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about decelerate

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Other Words from decelerate

deceleration \ (ˌ)dē-​ˌse-​lə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce deceleration (audio) \ noun
decelerator \ (ˌ)dē-​ˈse-​lə-​rā-​tər How to pronounce decelerator (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for decelerate

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Examples of decelerate in a Sentence

she decelerated the car as we entered the school zone
Recent Examples on the Web Economists and policy makers, including Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, have warned that growth could decelerate further unless Congress passes additional aid. — Kate Davidson, WSJ, "U.S. Budget Gap Tripled to Record $3.1 Trillion in Fiscal 2020, Treasury Says," 16 Oct. 2020 After the story began circulating across social media, Twitter and Facebook took steps to decelerate its spread. — Tyler Van Dyke, Washington Examiner, "Twitter suspends Team Trump account for posting video related to New York Post Hunter Biden story," 15 Oct. 2020 Wednesday’s flyby will be its first of two around Venus, followed by six around Mercury itself, to accelerate or decelerate and change its orbit around the sun. — NBC News, "A well-timed Venus flyby looks for signs of life in the clouds," 12 Oct. 2020 The administration’s goal for distributing the 15-minute tests is to speed up economic growth, which has slowed in recent months as states decelerate the reopening process. — Cassidy Morrison, Washington Examiner, "Trump announces distribution of 150M rapid coronavirus tests," 28 Sep. 2020 Growth is expected to decelerate in the final three months of the year, especially now that stimulus odds have faded, Goldman Sachs said. — Matt Egan, CNN, "The US economy needs more help. Congress is too divided to provide it," 18 Sep. 2020 Part of electric vehicles' magic in low- and variable-speed scenarios is their ability to recapture energy when decelerating by slowing the vehicle using the electric motor (or motors) rather than the traditional brakes. — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, "EV Range: Everything You Need to Know," 22 May 2020 Here, McCoy realized a parallel with the oil business: The amount of oil produced by a given oil well also decays at a decelerating rate over time. — Jon Hartley, National Review, "Trading Down with First-Round Picks Is a Path to NFL-Title Contention," 23 Apr. 2020 The death count has continued to soar even as the daily increase of total cases has slightly decelerated. — Anchorage Daily News, "Italy’s coronavirus deaths may be more a preview than anomaly.," 23 Mar. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of decelerate

1899, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for decelerate

de- + accelerate

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Time Traveler for decelerate

Time Traveler

The first known use of decelerate was in 1899

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Statistics for decelerate

Last Updated

20 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Decelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decelerate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for decelerate

decelerate

verb
How to pronounce decelerate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of decelerate

: to move slower : to lose speed
: to cause (something) to happen more slowly

See the full definition for decelerate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate | \ dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio) \
decelerated; decelerating

Kids Definition of decelerate

: to slow down The car decelerated at the yellow light.

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate | \ (ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio) \
decelerated; decelerating

Medical Definition of decelerate

transitive verb

: to reduce the speed of : slow down

intransitive verb

: to move at decreasing speed

Other Words from decelerate

deceleration \ (ˌ)dē-​ˌsel-​ə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce deceleration (audio) \ noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on decelerate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for decelerate

Nglish: Translation of decelerate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of decelerate for Arabic Speakers

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