accelerate

[ak-sel-uh-reyt] / ækˈsɛl əˌreɪt /

VERB

increase speed, timing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

advance expedite further hasten open up quicken spur step up stimulate

STRONG

drive dust forward gun hurry impel precipitate railroad rev roll tool

WEAK

fire up hammer on lay a patch lay rubber make tracks nail it peel rubber put on afterburners put pedal to metal rev up speed up step on the gas

Antonyms

STRONGEST

block cease check delay discourage halt hinder slow stop

STRONG

dissuade repress wait

WEAK

decelerate defer impede postpone retard slow down

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Looking ahead, we expect server growth to accelerate meaningfully as we scale supply to meet demand.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

The university is seeking scholars who can use AI to accelerate work in medicine, cybersecurity, national security, business, entertainment and other fields, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

ING economists said inflation in South Korea is set to accelerate as higher oil prices feed through to other goods and services, despite government measures including fuel-tax cuts and price caps on petroleum products.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

For travelers, the timing is particularly disruptive as summer bookings accelerate.

From Salon • May 2, 2026

But in order to accelerate the air to the necessary speed, giant wooden turbines had to accelerate the blast through the entirety of the tunnel’s circuit.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Vocabulary lists containing accelerate

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

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Holes

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