The difference between Accelerate and Speed up
When used as verbs, accelerate means to cause to move faster, whereas speed up means to accelerate.
Accelerate is also adjective with the meaning: accelerated.
check bellow for the other definitions of Accelerate and Speed up
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Accelerate as a verb (transitive):
To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
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Accelerate as a verb (transitive):
To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of.
Examples:
"to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc."
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Accelerate as a verb (transitive, physics):
To cause a change of velocity.
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Accelerate as a verb (transitive):
To hasten, as the occurrence of an event.
Examples:
"to accelerate our departure"
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Accelerate as a verb (transitive, education):
To enable a student to finish a course of study in less than normal time.
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Accelerate as a verb (intransitive):
To become faster; to begin to move more quickly.
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Accelerate as a verb (intransitive):
Grow; increase.
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Accelerate as a verb (obsolete):
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Accelerate as an adjective (rare):
Accelerated; quickened; hastened; hurried.
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Speed up as a verb (idiomatic, intransitive):
To accelerate; to increase speed.
Examples:
"The car sped up as it went around the corner."
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Speed up as a verb (transitive):
To increase the speed of something; to make something go faster.
Examples:
"You shouldn't speed up your car when you go around corners."