verb

accelerate

to speed up, to hasten, to quicken

The car can accelerate to 100 mph.

The car can accelerate to 100 mph.

The government will accelerate economic reforms.

The government will accelerate economic reforms.

((sth.)) to cause (sth.) to happen more quickly The government will accelerate economic reforms.

((to sth.)) to start to move more quickly, up to a certain speed The car can accelerate to 100 mph.

Synonyms: speed up, quicken, hasten; Antonyms: decelerate, slow down

From Latin 'ad-' (to) + 'celer' (swift). Literally 'to add swiftness'.

Think of pressing the 'accelerator' pedal in a car to 'accelerate'.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.