Accelerate: meaning, definitions and examples

Appropriate for technical or formal situations where something is moving faster due to an external force or effort.

• The car began to accelerate as it moved downhill
• The company is looking to accelerate its growth in the upcoming fiscal year

Casual or informal, suitable in both everyday conversation and technical contexts where the rate of an action needs to be increased.

• We need to speed up production to meet demand
• If you don’t speed up, we’ll miss the train

Literary or formal, often implies making something happen more promptly or with greater intensity.

• The news seemed to quicken his pulse
• Efforts to quicken the pace of development are underway

Used in formal or literary language to suggest quickening of a process or action, often with a sense of urgency.

• She hastened her steps to catch the bus
• His illness hastened his decision to retire early

Used in a formal context, often in business or official settings, to make a process or task happen more quickly.

• They are working to expedite the delivery of the packages
• We need to expedite the approval process to meet the deadline

Informal and often used in everyday speech to prompt someone to do something faster.

• Hurry up, or we'll be late for the movie! Can you hurry up and finish your homework?