acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌse-lə-ˈrā-shən 

(ˌ)ak-

1

a

: the act or process of moving faster or happening more quickly : the act or process of accelerating

rapid acceleration

the acceleration of economic growth

b

: ability to accelerate

a car with good acceleration

2

physics : the rate of change of velocity with respect to time

broadly : change of velocity

Examples of acceleration in a Sentence

The car delivers quick acceleration.

There has been some acceleration in economic growth.

There has been an acceleration in economic growth.

Recent Examples on the Web

But today’s social media — with its rapid acceleration of AI and other concerns — bums her out. —Leah Asmelash, CNN, 16 Feb. 2025

The array of explosions also varied in terms of luminosity, which will aid researchers in their search for answers to dark energy and the acceleration of the universe. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025

Miu Miu accounts for 25 percent of parent Prada Group sales, and showed an acceleration in the third quarter as revenues in that period jumped 105 percent. —Luisa Zargani, WWD, 13 Feb. 2025

This comes as the company has already seen an acceleration in handle growth in the beginning of 2025. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French acceleratiun, borrowed from Latin accelerātiōn-, accelerātiō, from accelerāre "to accelerate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing acceleration

• acceleration of gravity
• acceleration principle
• angular acceleration

Kids Definition

acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈrā-shən 

ak-

1

: the act or process of accelerating : the state of being accelerated

2

: the rate of change of velocity with respect to time

also : change in velocity

Medical Definition

acceleration

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​a·​tion ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈrā-shən, (ˌ)ak- 

1

: the act or process of accelerating : the state of being accelerated

2

: change of velocity

also : the rate of this change

3

: advancement in mental growth or achievement beyond the average for one's age