accrued; accruing
1
: to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim
2
a
: to come about as a natural growth, increase, or advantage
the wisdom that accrues with age
b
: to come as a direct result of some state or action
rewards due to the feminine will accrue to me—
Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer3
: to accumulate or be added periodically
interest accrues on a daily basis
: to accumulate or have due after a period of time
accrue vacation time
Examples of accrue in a Sentence
I'll get back all the money I invested, plus any interest and dividends that have accrued.
investments that have accrued interest and dividends
Recent Examples on the Web
Late fees and interest would accrue and end up swallowing most of her money, preventing her from ever making headway.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
City banked £99m in transfer fees, and that’s without considering any sell-on clauses that may soon or already have accrued from subsequent moves.
—Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
Disturbed and Linkin Park have thus far accrued a dozen rulers each, and Papa Roach currently lands one win behind both of those legendary rock outfits.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Americans have accrued more than $1.35 trillion in credit card debt as of the end of 2024, and credit card defaults have hit the highest level in 14 years, jumping to a record $46 billion from January to September 2024.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrue
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Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
City banked £99m in transfer fees, and that’s without considering any sell-on clauses that may soon or already have accrued from subsequent moves.
—Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
Disturbed and Linkin Park have thus far accrued a dozen rulers each, and Papa Roach currently lands one win behind both of those legendary rock outfits.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Americans have accrued more than $1.35 trillion in credit card debt as of the end of 2024, and credit card defaults have hit the highest level in 14 years, jumping to a record $46 billion from January to September 2024.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrue
Cite this Entry
“Accrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accrue. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accrue
verb
ac·crue
ə-ˈkrü 
accrued; accruing
1
: to come about as a natural growth or addition
benefits accrue to society from education
2
: to accumulate over a period of time
accrued interest
accrual
noun
-ˈkrü-əl
Legal Definition
accrue
verb
ac·crue
ə-ˈkrü
accrued; accruing
1
: to come into existence as an enforceable claim : vest as a right
action…does not accrue until the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known that he may have suffered injury—National Law Journal
National Law JournalNote: Statutes of limitations begin to run when a cause of action accrues.
2
: to come by way of increase or addition : arise as a growth or result
—usually used with to or from
advantages accruing to society from the freedom of the press
interest accrues to the seller as a result of the delay
3
: to be periodically accumulated in the process of time whether as an increase or a decrease
the accruing of taxes
allowing the receivable interest to accrue
1
: to accumulate or have due after a period of time
authorized by law to accrue leave in the maximum amount of 90 days
2
: to enter in the books as an accrual
Etymology
Middle French accreue increase, addition to a property, from feminine of accreu, past participle of acreistre to increase
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