accent

Noun

accent (countable and uncountable, plural accents)

1. A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.
   • In the word "careful", the accent is placed on the first syllable.

   Synonyms:

   stress

2. (figuratively) Emphasis or importance in general.
   • At this hotel, the accent is on luxury.
3. A mark used in writing, in order to indicate the place of the spoken stress.
4. Any mark used in writing over letters, either in order to indicate the place of the spoken stress, or to indicate the nature or quality of the vowel marked, or to distinguish homophones.
   • The name Cézanne is written with an acute accent.
   • California, like several other states, prohibits the use of diacritical marks or accents on official documents. That means no tilde (~), no accent grave (`), no umlaut (¨) and certainly no cedilla (¸).2015 April 11, Tovin Lapan, “California birth certificates and accents: O’Connor alright, Ramón and José is not”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2025
5. Modulation of the voice in speaking; the manner of speaking or pronouncing; a peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice, expressing emotion; tone.
   • I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain knave; which for my part I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to 't.c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
   • The tender Accents of a Woman’s Cry ¶ Will paſs unheard, will unregarded die;1709, Mat[thew] Prior, “Celia to Damon”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 90
6. The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.
   • a foreign accent
   • a broad Irish accent
   1. (informal, proscribed, sometimes) A manner of pronunciation suggesting that the speaker is from a different region; a foreign accent.
      • My professor's accent is so thick that it's difficult to understand her lectures.
      • She spoke with a strong accent that betrayed her southern roots.
   2. (sign languages) A distinctive manner of producing a sign language, such as someone who does not normally use a certain sign language might have when using it.
      • I believe I still retain some of my hearing accent when I use American Sign Language.2008, Jeremy Linn Brunson, The Practice and Organization of Sign Language, page 76
      • Cheesesteaks, Peanut Chews, Tastykakes, oh yeah, the Liberty Bell — there's so much to love about Philadelphia, but one of the best things about the city of Brotherly Love is the accent. We're not talking about spoken English — we're talking about American Sign Language.2015 November 5, Nina Porzucki, The World, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2022
7. A word; a significant tone or sound.
   • I heard my landlady's accents attuned to nervous civility, mingling with the mellow tones of a deep masculine voice,1895, Marie Corelli, The Sorrows of Satan: or The Strange Experience of One Geoffrey Tempest, Millionaire […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, published...
8. (plural, plural-only, usually) Expressions in general; speech.
   • Winds! on your wings to Heaven her accents bear, / Such words as Heaven alone is fit to hear.1697, Virgil, “Pastoral 3”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
9. Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse.
10. A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure.
11. A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure.
12. A mark used to represent this special emphasis.

Verb

UK/ækˈsɛnt/US/ækˈsɛnt/

accent (third-person singular simple present accents, present participle accenting, simple past and past participle accented)

1. (transitive) To express the accent of vocally; to utter with accent.
2. (transitive) To mark emphatically; to emphasize; to accentuate; to make prominent.
3. (transitive) To mark with written accents.