accelerate
gb/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt/ us/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt/
B1
English
~ 4200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Increase speed or move faster
To start going faster or make something go faster.
Usage pattern:
to accelerate [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'accelerate' with 'exaggerate' due to similar sounds, but they have completely different meanings.
Synonyms
speed up (More informal and commonly used in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
slow down (Means to reduce speed, the opposite of accelerating.)
Collocations
accelerate quickly
|accelerate rapidly
|accelerate smoothly
|accelerate sharply
Themes
transportation
|physics
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The car accelerated as it entered the highway.
- She pressed the gas pedal to accelerate.
- The train accelerated out of the station, gaining speed quickly.
- Cyclists can accelerate faster on lighter bikes.
- The runner accelerated in the final 100 meters.
Learner examples
- The car accelerated on the road.
- Please accelerate after the light turns green.
- The bike accelerates when you push hard.
- The bus accelerated to pass the truck.
Verb
B2
action
2
Make something happen faster
To make something happen faster or earlier.
Usage pattern:
to accelerate [a process/event]
Common mistake:
Learners may only associate 'accelerate' with physical speed, not realizing it can also apply to processes or events.
Synonyms
hasten (Slightly more formal; often used in written or literary contexts.)
Antonyms
delay (Means to make something happen later, the opposite of accelerating a process.)
Collocations
accelerate growth
|accelerate development
|accelerate progress
|accelerate change
Themes
business
|science
|technology
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The new policy will accelerate economic growth.
- Technology has accelerated the pace of communication.
- The treatment can accelerate recovery time.
- They hope to accelerate the approval process.
- Climate change is accelerating the melting of glaciers.
Learner examples
- The new plan will accelerate work.
- Good tools accelerate learning.
- This medicine will accelerate healing.
- We want to accelerate the project.
Verb
technical
C1
action
3
Increase rate of acceleration
In science, to change how fast something moves, including speed and direction.
Synonyms
gain velocity (Technical term focusing on vector quantity in physics.)
Antonyms
decelerate (Technical opposite referring to a decrease in velocity over time.)
Collocations
accelerate uniformly
|accelerate at a constant rate
Themes
physics
|science
Examples
- An object accelerates when a net force is applied.
- The spacecraft accelerated as it left Earth's gravity.
- In free fall, objects accelerate due to gravity.
- The particle accelerates in the magnetic field.
Learner examples
- A ball accelerates when it rolls down a hill.
- In space, rockets accelerate slowly at first.
- Gravity makes things accelerate when they fall.
Grammar
Dictionary form
accelerate
IPA
GB/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt/
US/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
ac - cel - er - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cel)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: accelerate
- 3rd Person Singular: accelerates
- Present Participle: accelerating
- Past: accelerated
Word family
Forms
accelerates
verb
accelerating
verb
accelerated
verb
Core family
acceleration
noun B1
accelerator
noun
Negative and opposite forms
decelerate
verb B2
deceleration
noun
Advanced or less common
accelerant
noun C1
Expressions
accelerate development
1/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt dɪvˈɛləpmənt/
fixed phrase
Speed up development process
To make something new or better more quickly.
Examples
- Government funding can accelerate development of new drugs.
- They are working hard to accelerate development of the app.
accelerate growth
1/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt ɡɹˈoʊθ/
fixed phrase
Make growth happen faster
To help something grow or develop more quickly.
Examples
- Investing in education can accelerate growth in the economy.
- The company is using technology to accelerate growth.
accelerate progress
1/æksˈɛlɚˌeɪt pɹˈɑɡɹɛs/
fixed phrase
Make progress faster
To make it easier or quicker to reach a goal.
Examples
- International cooperation can accelerate progress on climate goals.
- Better training will accelerate progress in skill development.