decelerate
verb
de·cel·er·ate
(ˌ)dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt 
decelerated; decelerating
1
: to reduce the speed of : slow down
decelerate a car
2
: to decrease the rate of progress of
decelerate growth
decelerate soil erosion
: to move at decreasing speed
Examples of decelerate in a Sentence
she decelerated the car as we entered the school zone
Recent Examples on the Web
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 
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.
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
Dictionary Entries Near decelerate
Cite this Entry
“Decelerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decelerate. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decelerate
verb
de·cel·er·ate
(ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt
decelerated; decelerating
: to move or cause to move at decreasing speed : slow down
Medical Definition
decelerate
verb
de·cel·er·ate
(ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt
decelerated; decelerating
: to reduce the speed of : slow down
: to move at decreasing speed
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share