Meaning & use
decelerate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitiveformal
To go slower or make something go slower.
Grammar: Can be used with an object (decelerate the car) or without (the car decelerated).
Patterns
- decelerate something
- decelerate to something
- decelerate from something
The train began to decelerate as it approached the station.
You should decelerate the vehicle gently on wet roads.
The spacecraft decelerated to enter orbit around Mars.
verbintransitiveformaltechnical
To become slower in rate, progress, or activity.
Grammar: No object; often used about economic growth or processes.
Patterns
- decelerate sharply
- decelerate gradually
Economic growth decelerated in the second half of the year.
The pace of new infections has decelerated thanks to the vaccine.
Population growth is expected to decelerate over the next decade.
Word forms
| third person singular | decelerates |
|---|---|
| past tense | decelerated |
| past participle | decelerated |
| -ing form | decelerating |
Common combinations
- decelerate rapidly
- The car decelerated rapidly to avoid the dog.
- decelerate to a stop
- The bus decelerated to a stop at the red light.
- decelerate the process
- New regulations may decelerate the approval process.
- decelerate sharply
- The economy decelerated sharply after the crisis.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slow down
- Slow down is the everyday, informal way to say decelerate; decelerate is more formal and technical.
- brake
- Brake means to use the brakes to stop or slow a vehicle; decelerate is a more general term that can also describe processes.
- retard
- Retard means to delay or slow the development of something; it is formal and often used in technical contexts, but it is now less common because of its offensive use as a noun.
Opposites
Word family
- deceleration noun
- The act or process of slowing down.
- decelerator noun
- A device or person that slows something down.
Commonly confused: decelerate or accelerate? decelerate or deceleration?
decelerate vs accelerate
Accelerate means to go faster, while decelerate means to go slower. They are opposites.
decelerate vs deceleration
Deceleration is the noun form; decelerate is the verb. Use 'decelerate' after 'to' or as a command.
Practice
The driver had to ___ suddenly when a child ran into the road.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs the base verb 'decelerate' after 'had to'. 'Decelerated' is past tense and cannot follow 'had to'; 'deceleration' is a noun; 'accelerate' is the opposite meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decelerate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.