accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late ə-ˈkyü-m(y)ə-ˌlāt 

accumulated; accumulating

transitive verb

: to gather or pile up especially little by little : amass

accumulate a fortune

intransitive verb

: to increase gradually in quantity or number

snow accumulating to a depth of several feet

Synonyms

• accelerate
• appreciate
• balloon
• boom
• build up
• burgeon
• bourgeon
• climb
• enlarge
• escalate
• expand
• gain
• increase
• mount
• multiply
• mushroom
• proliferate
• rise
• roll up
• snowball
• spread
• swell
• wax

Examples of accumulate in a Sentence

Evidence of his guilt is accumulating.

the number of complaints about that mail order firm is really accumulating

Recent Examples on the Web

Israelis believe that much of the extraordinary arsenal and the building supplies Hamas accumulated in Gaza came through Egypt, mostly through smuggling tunnels, Mr. Michael said, as did Yossi Kuperwasser, a reserve brigadier general and former Israeli intelligence officer. —Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

Fix any leaks in pipes, faucets or any other areas where water might accumulate. —The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024

Operators could plug the exit wells, causing water to accumulate inside the system, building up pressure and heat. —Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024

As previously reported, the pop superstar’s latest effort on Friday (April 19) became the first album in the streaming service’s history to accumulate more than 300 million streams in a single day. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024

By the time of the shooting, the officer had accumulated more than 61 citizen complaints in 11 years on the job. —Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024

Over generations, Indigenous peoples have accumulated vast knowledge about the Earth known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and are responsible for 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to the World Economic Forum. —Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024

For example, an American house accumulates an average of 300,000 objects, with more money spent each year on shoes, jewelery and clothes than on higher education. —Ana Morales, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024

The Levi's Low Pro Jeans are also a shopper-popular pair that have accumulated more than 2,000 five-star ratings. —Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin accumulātus, past participle of accumulāre "to heap up, add to, increase," from ad- ad- + cumulāre "to gather into a heap" — more at cumulate

Note: In part a Latinization of Middle French accumuler.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late ə-ˈkyü-myə-ˌlāt 

accumulated; accumulating

1

: to gather or pile up especially little by little : amass

accumulate a fortune

2

: to increase in quantity, number, or amount

rubbish accumulates quickly

Legal Definition

accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late

accumulated; accumulating

transitive verb

: to gather especially little by little

specifically : to add (income from a fund) back into the principal

intransitive verb

: to increase gradually in amount or number