accelerate

Everyday

1. To go faster or to make something go faster: the car accelerated. tree →
2. To make something happen sooner or more quickly: rain accelerated the rusting. tree →
3. (science) To change velocity, which includes speeding up, slowing down or changing direction. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on forces and motion, an object accelerates when a force acts on it; gravity makes falling things accelerate. In everyday life cars and bikes accelerate; in safety, drivers must not accelerate near schools. Phrases: accelerate away, accelerate quickly, accelerated learning.

Examples

• The car accelerated when the light turned green. tree →
• A ball accelerates as it rolls down a slope. tree →
• Pedal harder to accelerate on your bike. tree →
• Warm weather accelerates the growth of mould. tree →
• The rocket accelerated into space. tree →
• A runner accelerates at the start of a race. tree →
• (formal) The plan was accelerated to finish sooner. tree →

Note

Spelling: double c, one l: ac-cel-er-ate. Noun: acceleration. Opposite: decelerate (slow down). In maths, speeding up from 10 m/s to 30 m/s means the speed went up by 20 m/s.