accelerator

[ ak-sel-uh-rey-ter ]

noun

1. a person or thing that accelerates.
2. Automotive. a device, usually operated by the foot, for controlling the speed of an engine.
3. British. any two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle, as a motorcycle or motor scooter.
4. Photography. a chemical, usually an alkali, added to a developer to increase the rate of development.
5. Also called accelerant. Chemistry. any substance that increases the speed of a chemical change, as one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber or that hastens the setting of concrete, mortar, plaster, or the like.
6. Anatomy, Physiology. any muscle, nerve, or activating substance that quickens a movement.
7. Also called at·om smash·er [at, -, uh, m smash-er],. Physics. an electrostatic or electromagnetic device, as a cyclotron, that produces high-energy particles and focuses them on a target.
8. Economics. acceleration coefficient.
9. Business. an enterprise that provides investment funding and short, fixed-duration mentoring and education programs to a select group of startups that apply for this, including access to networking, strategy coaching, collaborative workspace, etc. Compare incubator ( def 5 ).

accelerator

/ ækˈsɛləˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a device for increasing speed, esp a pedal for controlling the fuel intake in a motor vehicle; throttle
2. Also called (not in technical usage)atom smasher physics a machine for increasing the kinetic energy of subatomic particles or atomic nuclei and focusing them on a target
3. chem a substance that increases the speed of a chemical reaction, esp one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber, the rate of development in photography, the rate of setting of synthetic resins, or the rate of setting of concrete; catalyst
4. economics (in an economy) the relationship between the rate of change in output or sales and the consequent change in the level of investment
5. anatomy a muscle or nerve that increases the rate of a function

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerator¹

First recorded in 1605–15 and in 1930–35 accelerator fordef 7; accelerate + -or ²

Example Sentences

The publisher uses existing affiliate conversion data from its commerce content to establish sales benchmarks, then looks to use the accelerator to drive incremental gains.

From Digiday

In March, the fundraising environment for direct-to-consumer startups was “downright frozen,” as Michael Duda, managing partner at hybrid accelerator agency and venture capital fund Bullish, put it.

From Digiday

One local games studio said it gave up hosting seasonal in-game events, which can be a big revenue accelerator, because Apple didn’t respond to their update review request for more than a month.

From Fortune

Facebook reveals early results from its subscription-focused local news accelerator

From TechCrunch

Still, the new result edges closer to the Planck regime than experiments at the world’s largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, Bojowald says.

From Science News

After episodes of not-so-subtly mentioning the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R Labs, we finally get what we want.

From The Daily Beast

After eight episodes of not-so-subtly mentioning the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R Labs, we finally get what we want.

From The Daily Beast

If Obama presses on this good-news accelerator with too heavy a foot, the engine will backfire in a big way.

From The Daily Beast

Almost unconsciously he lifted his foot from the accelerator and pressed down the brake.

From Project Gutenberg

Morey cut into a Northbound traffic level, moved into the high-speed lane, and eased in on the accelerator.

From Project Gutenberg

A loud shout from behind only brought Richard's foot down upon the accelerator.

From Project Gutenberg

Then they dashed around the corner, and Richard, turning on the lights, jammed down his accelerator.

From Project Gutenberg

The barrier gate began to swing inwards and Kerk jammed down on the accelerator.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• particle accelerator