ACCELERATE Synonyms: 149 Similar and Opposite Words

accelerate

verb

ik-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt

Definition of accelerate

as in to increase

to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number toy purchases accelerate dramatically during the Christmas season

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to rush

to cause to move or proceed fast or faster we accelerated preparations for the hurricane upon hearing weather reports that it had gained speed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to expand

to make greater in size, amount, or number the company accelerated its advertising purchases even as the economy appeared to be in recession

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of accelerate This trend will continue to accelerate as cautious investment allocation committees learn to incorporate digital assets into their governance framework. — Peter Mintzberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 That blaze tragically caused the deaths of almost the entire Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot team when flames accelerated through dry, dense, shrubby terrain and overtook 19 elite firefighters. — Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Other benefits include remote monitoring and accelerated production time. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 Investigators learned Matis accelerated from 0 to 43 mph in the seconds before the crash. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accelerate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for accelerate

Verb

There are also increasing concerns that the Russia-Ukraine war could escalate, amid reports that CIA chief John Ratcliffe have made a secretive Moscow trip to warn Russia against attacking NATO.

— Justina Lee, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Friday starts dry in the Twin Cities with clouds and temperatures increasing through the afternoon.

— Joseph Dames, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of increase

Verb

Paramedics with the Liberty Fire Department rushed to his aid and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Outside the emergency room entrance, Katie Winschief floated above her body as paramedics put her in a wheelchair and rushed her toward the hospital doors.

— Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of rush

Verb

Japan’s Inpex, for example, formed a joint venture to expand its LNG investment in Australia’s Northern Territory.

— Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
While most of its stores are in mainland China, the company had 4,378 stores overseas as of end-June and has been expanding into new markets, including central Asia and the Americas.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of expand

Verb

But rising bond yields make safer government debt more attractive relative to stocks, while also reducing the present value investors assign to companies’ future earnings.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
At the same time, waste is still piling up and resale’s environmental footprint is rising.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of rise

Verb

Adebo could still push Banks, while Phillips has secured the slot job.

— Dan Duggan, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
That more than doubled its stock, pushing its market cap above $9 billion, adding to the bottom line of Thrive and Kushner, who is vice chairman and has personal holdings.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of push

Verb

In future windows, a younger, faster centre-back feels required to augment an ageing cohort, with Burn and Fabian Schar both 34 and only Malick Thiaw possessing much pace.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Every solution is designed to augment human expertise rather than replace it, ensuring AI strengthens decision-making while maintaining accountability, transparency, and trust.

— Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of augment

Verb

Each morning at the crack of dawn, in one of the great Instagram moments of our time, 165 enormous balloons begin to swell in Cappadocia's half-light, their burners briefly illuminating the valley floor.

— Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
But the administration, led by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, has pushed ahead, recruiting bankers to help wield a loan authority that has swelled from $1 billion to $200 billion thanks to the recent Republican party-line tax bill.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of swell

Verb

Warmer temperatures may have hastened the collapse that led to Nepal’s deadly flooding, with melting snow able to seep into cracks in the glacier and mountain rocks, weakening them, Shugar said.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Clinton deployed the threat of withholding billions in aid to nix the Hanke plan, and a weak rupiah hastened Suharto’s departure months later.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of hasten

Browse Nearby Words

acceding (to)

accelerate

accelerated

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“Accelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accelerate. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of accelerate

verb

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