verb
Uncommon
accelerate
uhk-SEHL-uh-rayt
Accelerate (verb) means to go faster, or to make something go faster. Example: “The car accelerated quickly onto the motorway.”
verb
1
To go faster, or to make something go faster.
"The car accelerated quickly onto the motorway."
"The company accelerated production to meet holiday demand."
"The cyclist accelerated down the hill and soon left the others behind."
2
To make something happen sooner or more quickly than planned.
"The board voted to accelerate the merger timeline."
"Extra staff were hired to accelerate the delivery of the new website."
"Good weather helped the builders accelerate the schedule by almost a week."
How to use accelerate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo speed up, whether that's a vehicle, a process, or a timeline.
Common pairings
accelerate growth
accelerate the process
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- accelerates
- Past tense
- accelerated
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The car _____ quickly onto the motorway.
Etymology
From Latin accelerare, "to hasten," built from ad- ("to") plus celerare ("to hasten"), from celer, "swift" — the same root as celerity.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for accelerate
See all rhymes for accelerate →Frequently asked questions
What does “accelerate” mean?
The word “accelerate” means to go faster, or to make something go faster. In plain terms, to speed up, whether that's a vehicle, a process, or a timeline.
How do you pronounce “accelerate”?
“Accelerate” is pronounced uhk-SEHL-uh-rayt (/ɪkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/ in IPA).
How do you use “accelerate” in a sentence?
Here is “accelerate” used in a sentence: “The car accelerated quickly onto the motorway.”
What is another word for “accelerate”?
Words with a similar meaning to “accelerate” include quicken and speed up.
What is the opposite of “accelerate”?
The opposite of “accelerate” — its antonyms — are decelerate and unaccelerate.
What part of speech is “accelerate”?
“Accelerate” is a verb.
Where does the word “accelerate” come from?
The word “accelerate” comes from Latin. From Latin accelerare, "to hasten," built from ad- ("to") plus celerare ("to hasten"), from celer, "swift" — the same root as celerity.
Is “accelerate” a common word?
“Accelerate” is an uncommon word in modern English.
What is the difference between accelerate and hasten?
Accelerate and hasten both mean to make something happen faster, but accelerate is used more often for physical speed, such as a car accelerating, as well as for processes and timelines. Hasten leans more toward causing an event or outcome to occur sooner, particularly in written or slightly formal contexts.
Can accelerate be used for things other than physical speed?
Yes, accelerate is commonly used for abstract processes as well as physical motion, such as accelerating economic growth or accelerating a project's timeline. In these cases it means making something happen sooner or more quickly than originally planned.
Is accelerate used both with and without an object?
Yes, accelerate can be used intransitively, as in "the car accelerated," or transitively, as in "the driver accelerated the car." Both patterns are standard depending on whether the subject is speeding up on its own or something else is causing the speeding up.
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