acceleration

Language: en

🇬🇧 /æˌksɛləˈreɪʃən/ 🇺🇸 /ˌæˌksɛlɜrˈeɪʃən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The rate of change of velocity with respect to time; the act or process of accelerating or the state of being accelerated.; An increase in the rate or speed of something; the act of making something happen sooner or more quickly.; In physics, a vector quantity representing the change in velocity per unit time, measured in meters per second squared (m/s²).; In education, the practice of allowing gifted students to progress through a curriculum at a faster pace than usual.; In astronomy, the gradual increase in the apparent speed of a celestial body, such as the secular acceleration of the Moon.; In finance or economics, an increase in the rate of growth, such as inflation acceleration or GDP acceleration.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable / uncountable Plural: accelerations

Collocations

rate of accelerationacceleration due to gravityrapid accelerationlinear accelerationangular accelerationconstant acceleration

Derivatives

accelerateacceleratoracceleratedacceleratingdecelerationdecelerate

Synonyms

speeding upquickeninghasteningpickupsurge

Antonyms

decelerationslowingbrakingretardation

Commonly confused

velocity
EN: 'Velocity' is the speed and direction of an object at a given moment; 'acceleration' is the rate of change of velocity over time.
speed
EN: 'Speed' is how fast something moves; 'acceleration' is how quickly that speed is changing.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'acceleration' has a double 'c' (ac-cel-eration) and ends in '-ation', not '-asion'.

💬 Examples

  1. The acceleration of the car from 0 to 60 mph took only 4.5 seconds.

  2. The acceleration of technological progress has transformed modern society.

  3. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s².

  4. The school offers acceleration programs for students who demonstrate exceptional ability in mathematics.

  5. The secular acceleration of the Moon was first noted by Edmond Halley in 1693.

  6. The acceleration of inflation prompted the central bank to raise interest rates.