accomplish

English

Etymology

From Middle English accomplisshen, acomplissen, from Old French acompliss-, extended stem of acomplir (Modern French accomplir), from Vulgar Latin *(ac)complīre, from Latin complēre (“fill up/out, complete”, whence English complete).

First attested in the late 14th century.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈkʌm.plɪʃ/, /əˈkɒm.plɪʃ/
• (General American, dialects of Canada) IPA^(key): /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, /əˈkʌm.plɪʃ/

  • Audio (Southern California):

    (file)

• (Canada, dialects of the US) IPA^(key): /əˈkɒm.plɪʃ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /əˈkɐm.plɪʃ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /əˈkɐm.pləʃ/
• Hyphenation: ac‧com‧plish

Verb

accomplish (third-person singular simple present accomplishes, present participle accomplishing, simple past and past participle accomplished)

1. (transitive) To finish successfully.
2. (transitive) To complete, as time or distance.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Daniel 9:2:

     That He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

   • 1855, William H[ickling] Prescott, “War with France”, in History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume I, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, book I, page 231:

     But the rising ground which lay between him and the French prevented him from seeing the enemy until he had accomplished half a league or more.

3. (transitive) To execute fully; to fulfill; to complete successfully.

   to accomplish a design, an object, a promise

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 22:37:

     This that is written must yet be accomplished in me

4. (transitive, archaic) To equip or furnish thoroughly; hence, to complete in acquirements; to render accomplished; to polish.
   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:

     The armorers accomplishing the knights

   • 1638, John Wilkins, The Discovery of a World in the Moone:

     It [the moon] is fully accomplished for all those ends to which Providence did appoint it.

   • 1863, Charles Cowden Clarke, Shakespeare's Characters:

     These qualities . . . go to accomplish a perfect woman.

5. (transitive, obsolete) To gain; to obtain.
   • c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     And more unlikely / Than to accomplish twenty golden crowns!

6. (transitive, Philippines) To fill out a form.

Synonyms

• do, perform, fulfill, realize, effect, effectuate, complete, consummate, execute, achieve, perfect, equip, furnish, carry out, pull off

Derived terms

• accomplishable
• accomplisher
• accomplishment
• mission accomplished
• reaccomplish

Related terms

• complete
• comply

Translations

to finish successfully

• Arabic: أَدَّى (ʔaddā)
• Belarusian: дасяга́ць impf (dasjahácʹ), дасягну́ць pf (dasjahnúcʹ)
• Bulgarian: осъществявам (bg) (osǎštestvjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 達到 / 达到 (zh) (dádào)

• Danish: fuldende
• Dutch: volbrengen (nl)
• Finnish: suorittaa (fi), toteuttaa (fi), saada tehdyksi, saattaa päätökseen, saada aikaan
• French: accomplir (fr)
• Galician: conseguir (gl)
• German: vollenden (de) vollziehen (de), ausführen (de)
• Greek: επιτυγχάνω (el) (epityncháno)

  Ancient Greek: διαπράσσω (diaprássō), ἐξεργάζομαι (exergázomai)

• Hebrew: בִּצֵּעַ (bitséa)
• Hindi: सफलता (hi) (saphaltā), उपलब्धि (hi) (uplabdhi)
• Hittite: 𒀸𒊭𒉡𒊻𒍣 (aššanuzzi)
• Italian: compiere (it), realizzare (it)
• Kabuverdianu: alkansa, alkansá
• Latin: patrō, perpetrō, peragō
• Māori: whakatutuki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fullbyrde (no), fullende, effektuere

• Old English: fremman (ang)
• Old Saxon: fremmian, frummian, gifrummian
• Polish: dokonywać (pl), dokonać (pl)
• Portuguese: conseguir (pt) (with verb)
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} соверша́ть (ru) impf (soveršátʹ), ^{(please verify)} соверши́ть (ru) impf (soveršítʹ), ^{(please verify)} выполня́ть (ru) impf (vypolnjátʹ), ^{(please verify)} вы́полнить (ru) pf (výpolnitʹ), ^{(please verify)} достига́ть (ru) impf (dostigátʹ), ^{(please verify)} дости́гнуть (ru) pf (dostígnutʹ), ^{(please verify)} дости́чь (ru) impf (dostíčʹ), ^{(please verify)} заверша́ть (ru) impf (zaveršátʹ), ^{(please verify)} заверши́ть (ru) pf (zaveršítʹ), ^{(please verify)} доводи́ть до конца́ impf (dovodítʹ do koncá) , ^{(please verify)} довести́ до конца́ pf (dovestí do koncá)
• Sanskrit: साध्नोति (sa) (sādhnoti)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: постићи pf, ѝспунити pf

  Latin: pòstići pf, ìspuniti (sh) pf

• Spanish: efectuar (es), realizar (es), lograr (es)
• Swedish: fullborda (sv)

to complete, as time or distance

• Bulgarian: завършвам (bg) (zavǎršvam)
• Danish: fuldende
• Finnish: suorittaa (fi), saavuttaa (fi)
• French: accomplir (fr)
• Galician: completar (gl)
• German: vollenden (de)
• Italian: completare (it), trascorrere (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fullføre, fullende

• Russian: заверша́ть (ru) impf (zaveršátʹ), заверши́ть (ru) pf (zaveršítʹ)
• Spanish: completar (es)

to bring to an issue of full success; to effect; to perform

• Bulgarian: извършвам (bg) (izvǎršvam), осъществявам (bg) (osǎštestvjavam)
• Comorian:

  Ngazidja Comorian: utekeleza

• Danish: fuldende
• Dutch: volbrengen (nl)
• Finnish: suorittaa (fi), saavuttaa (fi)
• French: accomplir (fr)
• German: vollenden (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἐξεργάζομαι (exergázomai)

• Italian: concretizzare (it)
• Māori: whakatutuki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sluttføre, avstedkomme (no), utrette

• Portuguese: concretizar (pt)
• Russian: осуществля́ть (ru) impf (osuščestvljátʹ), осуществи́ть (ru) pf (osuščestvítʹ)
• Swedish: åstadkomma (sv), uträtta (sv)

(archaic) to equip or furnish thoroughly

• Danish: fuldende
• Finnish: varustaa (fi)
• German: vollenden (de)
• Italian: rifinire (it)

(obsolete) to gain; to obtain

• Finnish: hankkia (fi)
• Italian: ottenere (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: opptjene

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} menyelesaikan (id)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} complir (ia), ^{(please verify)} realisar
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} compire (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 完成させる (ja) (かんせいさせる, kansei-saseru) , ^{(please verify)} 成し遂げる (ja) (なしとげる, nashitogeru), ^{(please verify)} 完了させる (ja) (かんりょうさせる, kanryō-saseru)

Further reading

• “accomplish”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “accomplish”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “accomplish”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.