accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late ə-ˈkyü-m(y)ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce accumulate (audio)
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

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 Financial institutions accumulate high-quality data and directly engage customers impacted by multimodal interactions, on which LLMs thrive. Ravi Gedela, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 All these policies accumulate points in the video game’s scoring system, courtesy of Moody’s Analytics, which is led by Mark Zandi, Democrats’ go-to economist. The Editors, National Review, 1 Oct. 2024 As a musician, Ora has accumulated more than 10 billion global streams and scored 13 top 10 U.K. singles, including 4 No. 1 hits in the U.K. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024 Here, water doesn’t accumulate on the surface as rivers, but instead gets absorbed through the porous limestone to flow within underground tunnels. Martin Broen, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for accumulate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accumulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of accumulate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near accumulate

Cite this Entry

“Accumulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accumulate. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

accumulate

verb
ac·​cu·​mu·​late ə-ˈkyü-myə-ˌlāt How to pronounce accumulate (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on accumulate

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