accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
ik-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt 
ak-
accelerated; accelerating
1
: to move faster : to gain speed
The car slowly accelerated.
The pace of change has accelerated in recent months.
2
: to progress from grade to grade more rapidly than usual : to follow a speeded-up educational program
1
: to bring about at an earlier time
Circumstances accelerated their departure.
2
: to cause to move faster
accelerated his steps
also
: to cause to undergo acceleration
3
a
: to hasten the progress or development of
accelerate our efforts
b
: increase
accelerate food production
4
a
: to enable (a student) to complete a course in less than usual time
b
: to speed up (something, such as a course of study)
Examples of accelerate in a Sentence
She stepped on the gas and the car accelerated.
The plane accelerated down the runway.
She stepped on the gas and accelerated the car.
He says that cutting taxes will help to accelerate economic growth.
The rate of economic growth has continued to accelerate.
Recent Examples on the Web
In total, 113 national standards have now been approved and released, including strengthened mandatory limits on energy consumption designed to accelerate the retirement of obsolete and inefficient production capacity.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 Dec. 2025
The Gaza ceasefire is fragile, with Trump pressing Israel to accelerate Phase 2 – but no international force has materialized to govern Gaza, and prospects of Hamas disarming seem remote.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in office this year with promises to accelerate the big national-development projects that stalled in the Trudeau years.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
Researchers at China's National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) have accelerated a one-ton vehicle from a dead stop to 435 mph (700 km/h) in under two seconds – then back to zero mph on about a 1/4 mile (1,312 ft / 400 meter) magnetic levitation test track.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accelerate
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.
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 Dec. 2025
The Gaza ceasefire is fragile, with Trump pressing Israel to accelerate Phase 2 – but no international force has materialized to govern Gaza, and prospects of Hamas disarming seem remote.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in office this year with promises to accelerate the big national-development projects that stalled in the Trudeau years.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
Researchers at China's National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) have accelerated a one-ton vehicle from a dead stop to 435 mph (700 km/h) in under two seconds – then back to zero mph on about a 1/4 mile (1,312 ft / 400 meter) magnetic levitation test track.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accelerate
Cite this Entry
“Accelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accelerate. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
ik-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt
ak-
accelerated; accelerating
1
: to bring about earlier
accelerated our departure
2
: to move or cause to move faster
accelerative
adjective
-ˌrāt-iv
Medical Definition
accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
ik-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt, ak-
accelerated; accelerating
: to cause to move faster or speed up
accelerated speech and motor activity in manic patients
also
: to cause to undergo acceleration
: to move faster : gain speed
Legal Definition
accelerate
verb
ac·cel·er·ate
accelerated; accelerating
: to bring about at an earlier time: as
a
: to advance (the maturity date of a security agreement) so that payment of the debt in full is due immediately see also acceleration clause
b
: to cause (a future interest in property) to vest by removing the preceding interests (as by failure or premature termination)
: to enforce an acceleration clause
held that the creditor's right to accelerate was suspended—J. J. White and R. S. Summers
J. J. White and R. S. Summers
acceleration
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share