accelerateverb
uk/əkˈsel.ə.reɪt/us/əkˈsel.ɚ.eɪt/C2 [ I ] When a vehicle or its driver accelerates, the speed of the vehicle increases:
I accelerated to overtake the bus.
Opposite
decelerate
C2 [ I ] If a person or object accelerates, he, she, or it goes faster.
C1 [ I or T ] to happen or make something happen sooner or faster:
Inflation is likely to accelerate this year, adding further upward pressure on interest rates.
They use special chemicals to accelerate the growth of crops.
More examples
- The driver accelerated on the bend and appeared to lose control of the vehicle.
- We watched as the motorbike accelerated away into the distance.
- The van driver accelerated every time I tried to overtake him.
- Anne gripped my hand as the plane began accelerating along the runway.
- You have to accelerate gradually as you run down the track, and then take a big jump.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Increasing and decreasing speed of motion
- accelerant
- acceleration
- catch
- catch (sb) up
- decelerate
- downshift
- foot
- gather
- gun
- motor
- retard
- retardation
- slacken
- slow
- slow (sb/sth) down/up
- sped
- speed
- throttle
- throttle (sth) back/down
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Hurrying and doing things quickly