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.

The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates on June 16 as policymakers grow more concerned that the fallout from the conflict will accelerate underlying inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

While Kim Jong Il visited China repeatedly and relied on Beijing's backing, his son moved quickly to accelerate North Korea's nuclear programme.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Amazon Web Services secured a $4 billion commitment from Pinterest to accelerate its AI roadmap and modernize its visual search platform.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

And as price pressures have started to accelerate once again, bitcoin is proving that it isn’t much of an inflation hedge, despite its reputation.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

The phenomenon by which protons keep time with the oscillator even as they accelerate came to be known as “resonance.”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Vocabulary lists containing accelerate

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

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Holes

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