acceleration

[ ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for acceleration on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of accelerating; increase of speed or velocity.

  2. a change in velocity.

  1. Mechanics. the time rate of change of velocity with respect to magnitude or direction; the derivative of velocity with respect to time.

Origin of acceleration

1
First recorded in 1525–35, acceleration is from the Latin word accelerātiōn- (stem of accelerātiō). See accelerate, -ion

Other words from acceleration

  • non·ac·cel·er·a·tion, noun
  • o·ver·ac·cel·er·a·tion, noun
  • re·ac·cel·er·a·tion, noun

Words Nearby acceleration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use acceleration in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for acceleration

acceleration

/ (ækˌsɛləˈreɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act of accelerating or the state of being accelerated

  2. the rate of increase of speed or the rate of change of velocity: Symbol: a

  1. the power to accelerate: Symbol: a

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for acceleration

acceleration

[ ăk-sĕl′ə-rāshən ]


  1. The rate of change of the velocity of a moving body. An increase in the magnitude of the velocity of a moving body (an increase in speed) is called a positive acceleration; a decrease in speed is called a negative acceleration. Acceleration, like velocity, is a vector quantity, so any change in the direction of a moving body is also an acceleration. A moving body that follows a curved path, even when its speed remains constant, is undergoing acceleration. See more at gravity relativity.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for acceleration

acceleration

A change in the velocity of an object.

Notes for acceleration

The most familiar kind of acceleration is a change in the speed of an object. An object that stays at the same speed but changes direction, however, is also being accelerated. (See force.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.