decelerate

verb

de·​cel·​er·​ate (ˌ)dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio)
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
deceleration noun
decelerator noun

Examples of decelerate in a Sentence

she decelerated the car as we entered the school zone
Recent Examples on the Web Oracle’s revenue growth for the August-ending quarter decelerated sharply from the previous quarters and slightly missed analysts’ consensus estimates, while the midpoint of the company’s projection for the current quarter was about 2% below the Street’s target. WSJ, 12 Sep. 2023 But given the orbital arrangement of the 3-body system, where the Moon's tide pulls on the Earth, acting to decelerate its rotation, the solar ride actually pushes the Earth forward, accelerating its rotation. Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023 But factory activity and consumer spending decelerated in the quarter ending in June. Joe McDonald, Fortune, 10 July 2023 Average hourly pay in July is expected to be up 4.2% from a year earlier, according to the FactSet survey, decelerating from a 4.4% year-over-year increase in June. Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2023 Those haven’t decelerated as fast as the headline number. Bryan Mena, CNN, 17 July 2023 Shop-price annual inflation in the U.K. decelerated in early June on the back of cheaper fresh food as retailers cut prices of many staples such as milk, cheese and eggs, the latest report by NielsenIQ and the British Retail Consortium said Tuesday. Michael Susin, WSJ, 27 June 2023 But the report also showed that underlying price pressures, such as core inflation, continued to decelerate. Bryan Mena, CNN, 16 Aug. 2023 In track, and hurdles specifically, the goal is the complete opposite − to run in a straight line without decelerating, and to run tall, clearing 42-inch hurdles without lowering one's center of gravity. Tom Schad, USA TODAY, 5 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decelerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

de- + accelerate

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decelerate was in 1899

Dictionary Entries Near decelerate

Cite this Entry

“Decelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decelerate. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate (ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio)
decelerated; decelerating
: to move or cause to move at decreasing speed : slow down
deceleration noun

Medical Definition

decelerate

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

transitive verb

: to reduce the speed of : slow down

intransitive verb

: to move at decreasing speed
deceleration noun

More from Merriam-Webster on decelerate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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