Automotive. a device, usually operated by the foot, for controlling the speed of an engine.
British. any two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle, as a motorcycle or motor scooter.
Photography. a chemical, usually an alkali, added to a developer to increase the rate of development.
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.
Anatomy, Physiology. any muscle, nerve, or activating substance that quickens a movement.
Also called at·om smash·er[at-uhm smash-er], /ˈæt əm ˌsmæʃ ər/, par·ti·cle ac·cel·er·a·tor[pahr-ti-kuhl] /ˈpɑr tɪ kəl/ .Physics. an electrostatic or electromagnetic device, as a cyclotron, that produces high-energy particles and focuses them on a target.
Economics. acceleration coefficient.
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).
Origin of accelerator
First recorded in 1605–15 and in 1930–35 for def. 7; accelerate + -or2
Words nearby accelerator
accelerationist, acceleration of free fall, acceleration of gravity, acceleration principle, accelerative, accelerator, accelerator board, accelerator factor, accelerator fiber, accelerator globulin, accelerator mass spectrometry
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.
‘The more culture you own’: Condé Nast pursues more revenue growth with new brand-strength metric|Max Willens|September 18, 2020|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.
‘It is all DTC now’: VCs are eager to strike deals again|Anna Hensel|September 18, 2020|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.
Apple’s App Store draws scrutiny in yet another country|Verne Kopytoff|September 3, 2020|Fortune
Facebook reveals early results from its subscription-focused local news accelerator
Facebook tests linking your FB account to your news subscriptions|Anthony Ha|August 28, 2020|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.
The universe might have a fundamental clock that ticks very, very fast|Emily Conover|July 13, 2020|Science News
He glanced over at Praed's plane, spun the small helicopter props over and pushed down the accelerator.
Astounding Stories, February, 1931|Various
As the last lock opened he threw the accelerator all the way forward and felt the ship leap ahead.
Daughters of Doom|Herbert B. Livingston
A midget auto came skidding down the pirate ship's ramp, its driver standing on the accelerator.
This One Problem|M. C. Pease
He jammed his own accelerator down to the floor and plunged on.
Operation Terror|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
"Say not so," says Barry, steppin' on the accelerator careless.
Torchy and Vee|Sewell Ford
British Dictionary definitions for accelerator
accelerator
/ (ækˈsɛləˌreɪtə) /
noun
a device for increasing speed, esp a pedal for controlling the fuel intake in a motor vehicle; throttle
Also called (not in technical usage): atom smasherphysicsa machine for increasing the kinetic energy of subatomic particles or atomic nuclei and focusing them on a target
chema 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
economics(in an economy) the relationship between the rate of change in output or sales and the consequent change in the level of investment
anatomya muscle or nerve that increases the rate of a function