To accompany someone means to go along with them, to be present with them as they do something or travel somewhere. When your parent accompanies you to the doctor's office, they come with you and stay by your side. When a friend accompanies you on a walk, you travel together rather than alone.

When you accompany someone, you're intentionally going with them, often to provide company, support, or help. A teacher might accompany students on a field trip. A security guard might accompany valuable artwork as it travels between museums.

Accompany also has a musical meaning: to play an instrument or sing along with another performer, providing background music that supports them. A pianist might accompany a violinist during a concert, playing chords and melodies that make the violin sound even better. The pianist is called an accompanist, and the music they play is the accompaniment.

The word can extend to things too. When thunder accompanies lightning, it comes along with it. When instructions accompany a new toy, they come together in the same package. The idea is always the same: something or someone going along with something or someone else.