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

Finally, a little cleaning can cut down on the microplastics accumulating in the dust and air in your home, Woodruff says. —Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 5 Feb. 2025

Finally, the total forgiveness was only $188 billion, which is the amount of new debt that accumulates in about 2 years. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025

Mercury is toxic and can accumulate in the body, which is why choosing lower-mercury seafood, like skipjack tuna, is a smart choice for your health.7 Tuna has anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B12, selenium, vitamin E, and magnesium.89 7. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 4 Feb. 2025

All players transition from one age to another at once when enough progress has accumulated (either in just one path or all of them). —Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025

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