French word

accélérer

Pronunciation

IPA/akseleʁe/

Meaning

  • verbspeed up

Example

Peux-tu accélérer le pas ?

Can you pick up the pace?

Illustration for accélérer (speed up)

More examples

Il faut accélérer les démarches pour obtenir le visa.

The procedures must be accelerated to obtain the visa.

Core concept

A moving thing or unfolding process shifts into a faster pace, like a dial turned toward speed.

Common phrases

  • accélérer le pas

    quicken one's pace

  • accélérer la cadence

    quicken the pace

  • accélérer un projet

    accelerate a project

Similar words

se dépêcher: Rush to complete an activity.
s'empresser: Move quickly to take action.
dépêcher: Dispatch help or information without delay.

Definition in French

Augmenter la vitesse d'un mouvement, d'un véhicule ou hâter le déroulement d'un processus.

Word origin

French accélérer descends from Latin accelerare, formed from ad- and celer, meaning swift.

Usage tips

  • With a direct object, accélérer speeds something up; s'accélérer describes something speeding up by itself.

Other meanings

  • accelerateverb
  • expediteverb

Opposites

  • ralentirslow downverb
  • décélérerdecelerateverb

Related words

Word lists with this word