English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
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verb

accelerate

uhk-SEHL-uh-rayt
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."
2
To make something happen sooner or more quickly than planned.
"The board voted to accelerate the merger timeline."

How to Use Accelerate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo speed up, whether that's a vehicle, a process, or a timeline.

Common pairings
accelerate growth accelerate the process

Word Forms

accelerated past tense, accelerates singular

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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.

Related Words

Rhymes for accelerate

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