accelerando

/ˌæksɛləˈrɑːndəʊ/

adverb

  1. In music, gradually becoming faster.

    B2

    musical; formal

    • "The orchestra plays accelerando near the end."B1
    • "The score marked the passage accelerando, urging the musicians to speed up."B2

noun

  1. A gradual increase in the speed or tempo of a piece of music.

    B2

    countablemusical; formal

    • "The song ends with an accelerando."B1
    • "The conductor signaled an accelerando, and the orchestra began to play faster."B2

Collocations

gradual accelerandofinal accelerandoaccelerando passagemarked accelerando

Word family

accelerateacceleration