accelerate

UK /əkˈsel.ə.reɪt/ US /əkˈsel.ə.reɪt/ Syllables: ac-cel-er-ate

Pronunciation

Verb B2 Upper-intermediate Neutral

To speed up, or to make something happen faster or sooner than expected.

To accelerate is to go faster or to make something happen sooner. A car accelerates when the driver presses the pedal, and a company can accelerate its plans to finish before a deadline. The word works for movement, for change, and for growth, such as an economy that accelerates. The opposite is to slow down or decelerate.

"The car accelerated smoothly onto the highway."

Meanings

To go faster.
To make something happen sooner or more quickly.

Example sentences

"The car accelerated onto the motorway."

Level B2, Meaning 1
"The company wants to accelerate its plans for the new product."

Level B2, Meaning 2
"Exercise can accelerate your recovery."

Level B2, Meaning 2
"The pace of change is accelerating."

Level C1, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

speed up hasten

Antonyms

decelerate slow

Look-alikes and common mistakes

hurry : Hurry means to rush yourself. Accelerate means to make something move or happen faster, and can be used for machines and processes.

Word family and forms

Forms: accelerates, accelerated, accelerating

acceleration accelerator decelerate accelerated

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "accelerate".

accelerate quickly
accelerate growth
accelerate the process
accelerate away
accelerating change
accelerate the pace

Origin

Accelerate comes from Latin accelerare, which meant to hurry. It is built from ad, meaning to, and celer, meaning quick, the same root as in celerity, a formal word for speed.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Think of the accelerator pedal in a car: you accelerate by pressing the accelerator.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The car _____ onto the motorway."

Answer: accelerate

In your own words, what does "accelerate" mean?