accompany
gb/əkˈʌmpəni/ us/əkˈʌmpəni/
B1
English
~ 1900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Go somewhere with someone
To go to a place with another person.
Usage pattern:
to accompany [someone] [to a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'accompany' with 'follow', but 'accompany' means going together, not going behind someone.
Synonyms
go with (More informal and commonly used in everyday conversation.)
|
escort (Implies guiding or protecting someone, often in formal or official contexts.)
Antonyms
leave (Means to depart from someone rather than going with them.)
Collocations
accompany a friend
|accompany a guest
|accompany someone to the airport
|accompany a child
|accompany a passenger
Themes
daily life
|travel
|social
|daily_life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She will accompany her friend to the doctor.
- Parents must accompany their children on the trip.
- The ambassador was accompanied by security guards.
- I accompanied my colleague to the conference.
- He accompanied her to the train station.
Learner examples
- I will accompany you to the store.
- She will accompany her mother to the park.
- Can you accompany me to the bus stop?
- He will accompany his sister to school.
- They will accompany us to the party.
Verb
B2
action
2
Play music for another performer
To play music while another person sings or plays an instrument.
Usage pattern:
to accompany [someone] [on an instrument]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'accompany' here with simply being present at a performance; in this sense it means actively performing music with someone.
Synonyms
play for (Informal way of saying to perform music for someone.)
Antonyms
perform solo (Means to perform without musical support from others.)
Collocations
accompany a singer
|accompany on piano
|accompany a performance
|accompany a choir
Themes
music
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- She will accompany the singer on the piano.
- A guitarist accompanied him during the concert.
- He accompanied her with soft background music.
- The pianist accompanied the choir beautifully.
Learner examples
- She will accompany me on guitar.
- He will accompany her on piano.
- I can accompany you when you sing.
- The band will accompany the dancer.
Verb
B2
event
3
Happen at same time as something else
To happen at the same time as something else.
Usage pattern:
to accompany [an event/state]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with physically going somewhere; here it refers to events happening together, not people moving together.
Synonyms
coincide with (Focuses more on timing rather than being part of something.)
|
be associated with (Emphasizes a connection rather than simultaneity.)
Antonyms
occur separately (Happens without another event at the same time.)
Collocations
symptoms that accompany a disease
|changes accompanied by risks
|feelings that accompany success
Themes
science
|descriptions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- High fever is often accompanied by chills.
- Strong winds accompanied the storm.
- Excitement accompanied the announcement of the winner.
- Economic growth was accompanied by rising inequality.
Learner examples
- Rain often accompanies thunderstorms.
- Pain can accompany an injury.
- A bad smell can accompany old food.
- Loud noise accompanied the fireworks.
Grammar
Dictionary form
accompany
IPA
GB/əkˈʌmpəni/
US/əkˈʌmpəni/
Syllables & stress
ac - com - pany (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (com)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: accompany
- 3rd Person Singular: accompanies
- Present Participle: accompanying
- Past: accompanied
Word family
Forms
accompanies
verb
accompanying
verb
accompanied
verb
Core family
accompaniment
noun B2
accompanist
noun
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unaccompanied
adjective
Advanced or less common
companionable
adjective
Expressions
accompany someone to the door
1/əkˈʌmpəni sˈʌmwˌʌn tə ðə dˈɔɹ/
fixed phrase
Go with someone to an exit point
To walk with someone to the door when they are leaving, often as a polite gesture.
Examples
- He accompanied her to the door after dinner.
- She accompanied the guests to the door as they left.
be accompanied by
1/bˈi əkˈʌmpənid bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
Have something happen together with something else
Used to say that one thing happens or exists together with another thing.
Examples
- The speech was accompanied by loud applause.
- The meal was accompanied by a glass of wine.