From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishaccentac‧cent1 /ˈæksənt $ ˈæksent/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 SLLthe way someone pronounces the words of a language, showing which country or which part of a country they come from → dialect He had a strong Irish accent.2 → the accent is on something3 SLLthe part of a word that you should emphasize when you say it SYN stressaccent on In the word ‘dinner’ the accent is on the first syllable.4 SLGa written mark used above or below particular letters in some languages to show how to pronounce that letterCOLLOCATIONSverbshave an accentThe man had a Spanish accent.speak with an accentShe spoke with an accent that I couldn’t understand.pick up an accentDuring his stay in England, he had picked up an English accent.lose your accent (=no longer speak with an accent)After 9 years in London, Ben had lost his French accent.put on an accent (=deliberately speak with a different accent from your usual one)When Mum’s on the phone, she puts on a funny accent.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + accenta strong/broad/thick/pronounced accent (=very noticeable)She spoke with a strong Scottish accent.a broad Australian accenta slight/faint accentHe has a very slight accent.a French/American etc accentI noticed that he had a Spanish accent.a New York/London etc accentThe woman had a Chicago accent.a foreign accentI got a call from a man with a foreign accent.a southern/northern accentHe spoke with a lovely soft southern accent.a regional accent (=from a particular area of a country)If you have a regional accent, don’t try to hide it.an upper-class/middle-class/working-class accentSebastian spoke with an upper-class accent.a posh/plummy accent British English informal (=an upper-class accent)a tall man with a posh accentnounsa hint/trace of an accentI could detect the hint of a German accent in her voice.
Examples from the Corpus
accent• Her acquired accent sounded suddenly very strong.• Her companion had a broad Australian accent.• Alex spoke Portuguese with a Brazilian accent.• She spoke with a distinctly upper class accent.• Anyone with a foreign accent, including refugee children, were labelled as potential saboteurs.• Margy comes from Newcastle and speaks with a Geordie accent.• I knew from his accent that he was from the South.• His accent was so strong that I couldn't understand a word he was saying.• Maria speaks Spanish with a Mexican accent.• It was the peculiar accent that puzzled me before; it made Alice's words sound garbled, nonsensical.• National regional accents sound very attractive on radio.• Are the accents strongly regional and therefore perhaps unfamiliar to your students?• The accent on non sequiturs and non-linear thinking echoes the Ono sensibility and much else in determinedly avant-garde circles.accentac‧cent2 /əkˈsent $ ˈæksent/ verb [transitive] 1 to make something more noticeable so that people will pay attention to it SYN highlight Use make-up to accent your cheekbones and eyes.2 SLL technical to emphasize a part of a word in speech→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
accent• The side tables were accented by fresh flower arrangements.• The opening chase sequence, accenting its violent end, is exhilaratingly choreographed.• Skillful use of make-up can accent your cheekbones and hide small blemishes.Origin accent1 (1500-1600) French Latin accentus, from ad- “to” + cantus “song” 