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

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the NWS New York said that up to 2 inches of snow was expected to accumulate north of the city. —Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024

Several inches of wet snow are expected accumulate across parts of Michigan through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service, with some areas possibly experiencing more than 6 inches of accumulation of wet snow. —Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 23 Dec. 2024

In the 2010s, his career miscalculations began to accumulate: His movies weren’t making money. —E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2024

Since 2022, only four major-league first basemen have accumulated more wins above replacement than Walker: Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson and Goldschmidt. —Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 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