decelerate

verb

de·​cel·​er·​ate (ˌ)dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio)
decelerated; decelerating

transitive verb

1
: to reduce the speed of : slow down
decelerate a car
2
: to decrease the rate of progress of
decelerate growth
decelerate soil erosion

intransitive verb

: to move at decreasing speed
deceleration noun
decelerator noun

Examples of decelerate in a Sentence

she decelerated the car as we entered the school zone
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Were housing costs to decelerate in 2025 that may bring down inflation faster, perhaps enabling greater flexibility on interest rates. Simon Moore, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024 Security footage shows that the multimillion-dollar jet accelerated on the runway but suddenly decelerated and overran the end of the runway, the report said. Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 4 Dec. 2024 The rate of land movement decelerated as much as 80% as of early October compared with the month prior at several monitoring sites, the report said. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024 Rents surged 12% in 2021, per CoreLogic, when immigration inflows were modest, then decelerated to 2.8% in 2023, when inflows were high. Neil Irwin, Axios, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for decelerate 

Word History

Etymology

de- + accelerate

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decelerate was in 1899

Dictionary Entries Near decelerate

Cite this Entry

“Decelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decelerate. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate (ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio)
decelerated; decelerating
: to move or cause to move at decreasing speed : slow down
deceleration noun

Medical Definition

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate (ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio)
decelerated; decelerating

transitive verb

: to reduce the speed of : slow down

intransitive verb

: to move at decreasing speed
deceleration noun

More from Merriam-Webster on decelerate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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