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

Over his four-year major-league career, Kim has accumulated 48 defensive runs saved — 24 at shortstop, 15 at second base, nine at third base — and 78 steals. —Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Arizona’s major utilities are projecting sizable growth in power demand in coming years and have been adding solar, wind and natural-gas generating capacity as well as battery-storage complexes that accumulate power during low-demand morning hours for release later in the day and at night. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Ruffalo's post has accumulated more than 1.2 million views since it was posted on November 4. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Home Depot The billionaire, a major donor to Republican politicians, accumulated his fortune by starting The Home Depot with Arthur Blank in 1978, with the two building the hardware store into a giant retail chain that now operates 2,300 stores and employs more than 500,000. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 5 Nov. 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