accrual

1 of 2

noun

ac·​cru·​al ə-ˈkrü-əl 

1

: the action or process of accruing something

money gained by the accrual of interest

2

: something that accrues or has accrued

an employee's vacation accruals

accrual

2 of 2

adjective

: relating to or being a method of accounting that recognizes income when earned and expenses when incurred regardless of when cash is received or disbursed (see disburse sense 1a) compare cash entry 2

Synonyms

Noun

• accretion
• addendum
• addition
• augmentation
• boost
• expansion
• gain
• increase
• increment
• more
• plus
• proliferation
• raise
• rise
• step-up
• supplement
• uptick

Examples of accrual in a Sentence

Noun

had an accrual of $100 through interest on my savings account last year

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax, was $66,000, resulting from a reduction in the accrual for sales tax. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024

The loss was impacted by a $15.7 million other expense, net, primarily related to the accrual of additional expenses for net abandonment obligations. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Making matters worse, those savings that never materialized were spent elsewhere (showing the danger of mixing cash and accrual budgeting concepts). —Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

The program has several other benefits, including a subsidy that prevents loan balances from ballooning due to runaway interest accrual, and eventual student loan forgiveness in as little as 10 years for borrowers who took on small amounts of debt. —Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

accrue + -al entry 2

Adjective

derivative of accrual entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1804, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1912, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

accrual

noun

ac·​cru·​al ə-ˈkrü-əl 

1

: the action or process of accruing

claim must be brought within two years of the date of accrual

2

a

: something that accrues

especially : an amount of money that periodically accumulates for a specific purpose (as payment of taxes or interest)

b

: something that has accrued during a specified period