American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition - v. To increase the speed of. - v. To cause to occur
sooner than expected. - v. To cause to develop or progress more
quickly: a substance used to accelerate a fire. - v. To reduce
the time required for (an academic course, for example);
compress into a shorter period. - v. To make it possible for (a
student) to finish an academic course faster than usual. - v.
Physics To change the velocity of. - v. To move or act faster.
See Synonyms at speed. - v. To engage in an academic program
that progresses faster than usual. Century Dictionary and
Cyclopedia - To make quicker; cause to move or advance faster;
hasten; add to the velocity of; give a higher rate of progress
to: as, to accelerate motion or the rate of motion; to
accelerate the transmission of intelligence; to accelerate the
growth of a plant, or the progress of knowledge. - To bring
nearer in time; bring about, or help to bring about, more
speedily than would otherwise have been the ca