accompanied; accompanying
Synonyms of accompany

transitive verb

1
: to go with as an associate or companion
She accompanied me to the store.
2
: to perform an accompaniment to or for
He will be accompanying her on the piano.
3
a
: to cause to be in association
accompanied their advice with a warning
b
: to be in association with
the pictures that accompany the text

intransitive verb

music : to perform an accompaniment

Examples of accompany in a Sentence

She will accompany me to the store. Ten adults accompanied the class on their field trip. Children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult to see this movie. A delicious sauce accompanied the grilled fish. He will be accompanying her on the piano.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Partly inspired by her time working as a museum security guard, they are often accompanied by water bottles, cushions, books, or other belongings that give a sense of the presence of the person who sits there. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 Keeping Citizens small must be accompanied by financially sound private coverage and responsible treatment of policyholders. — Kevin M. McCarty, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026 Swift shared the photo on Instagram, accompanied by a caption that celebrated the future kind’s birthday. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Oct. 2026 Around me, hands reach up timidly and then with more confidence, and then they are accompanied by applause that drifts from one side of the room to the other and back. — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accompany

Word History

Etymology

Middle English accompanien "to make (someone) a companion or associate, be in company with, attend," borrowed from Anglo-French acumpainer, acompaigner "to join together, frequent, keep the company of," from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + cumpaing, cumpaignun companion entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of accompany was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accompany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accompany. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

accompany

verb
accompanied; accompanying
1
: to go with or attend as a companion
2
: to perform an accompaniment to or for
3
: to occur at the same time as or along with
a thunderstorm accompanied by high winds
Etymology

Middle English accompanien "to accompany," from early French acompaigner (same meaning), from a- "to" and cumpaing "companion," from Latin companio "companion" — related to companion, company

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