1 decelerate | Definition of decelerate

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate | \ (ˌ)dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio) \
decelerated; decelerating

Definition of decelerate

transitive verb

1 : to reduce the speed of : slow down decelerate a car
2 : to decrease the rate of progress of decelerate growth decelerate soil erosion

intransitive verb

: to move at decreasing speed

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Other Words from decelerate

deceleration \ (ˌ)dē-​ˌse-​lə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce deceleration (audio) \ noun
decelerator \ (ˌ)dē-​ˈse-​lə-​rā-​tər How to pronounce decelerator (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for decelerate

Synonyms

brake, retard, slacken, slow

Antonyms

accelerate, hasten, hurry, quicken, rush, speed (up), step up

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Examples of decelerate in a Sentence

she decelerated the car as we entered the school zone

Recent Examples on the Web

An alternative idea for ovals could be to just recover energy when decelerating into the pit lane, with drivers then using that energy when exiting the pits again. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "900hp hybrids are coming for the 2022 IndyCar season," 1 Aug. 2019 However, business spending has decelerated for three straight quarters, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Matt Egan, CNN, "Stock buybacks exploded after the tax cuts. Now they're slowing down," 22 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decelerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of decelerate

1899, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for decelerate

de- + accelerate

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More Definitions for decelerate

decelerate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of decelerate

: to move slower : to lose speed
: to cause (something) to happen more slowly

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate | \ dē-ˈse-lə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio) \
decelerated; decelerating

Kids Definition of decelerate

: to slow down The car decelerated at the yellow light.

decelerate

verb
de·​cel·​er·​ate | \ (ˈ)dē-ˈsel-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decelerate (audio) \
decelerated; decelerating

Medical Definition of decelerate

transitive verb

: to reduce the speed of : slow down

intransitive verb

: to move at decreasing speed

Other Words from decelerate

deceleration \ (ˌ)dē-​ˌsel-​ə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce deceleration (audio) \ noun

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