accumulate

American  

[uh-kyoo-myuh-leyt] / əˈkyu myəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

accumulated, accumulating

1. to gather or collect, often in gradual degrees; heap up.

   to accumulate wealth.

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verb (used without object)

accumulated, accumulating

1. to gather into a heap, mass, cover, etc.; form a steadily increasing quantity.

   Snow accumulated in the driveway. His debts kept on accumulating.

accumulate British  

/ əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. to gather or become gathered together in an increasing quantity; amass; collect

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Other Word Forms

• accumulable adjective
• accumulative adjective
• accumulatively adverb
• accumulativeness noun
• nonaccumulating adjective
• overaccumulate verb
• preaccumulate verb (used with object)
• reaccumulate verb
• superaccumulate verb (used without object)
• unaccumulable adjective
• unaccumulated adjective
• well-accumulated adjective

Etymology

Origin of accumulate

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin accumulātus “heaped up,” past participle of accumulāre “to heap up,” from ac- ac- + cumul(us) “heap” ( cumulus ( def. ) ) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Example Sentences

With the modern scoring system that allows skaters to accumulate up to a dozen points for a single jump, Siao Him Fa easily absorbed the two-point deduction for the flip.

From Los Angeles Times

Velado is eligible for early release because of credits that she accumulated during her time in prison and the time she spent in custody before she was sentenced, according to the CDCR.

From Los Angeles Times

Across the South, where ice accumulated instead of snow, hundreds of thousands of customers lost power.

From The Wall Street Journal

This trend has been amplified in recent years as central banks have sought to hedge geopolitical and financial risks or diversify their reserves by accumulating gold.

From MarketWatch

Economists believe many households will receive bigger tax refunds, which could help them deal with some of the debt accumulated during the holiday spending season.

From Barron's

Related Words

• accrue
• acquire
• add to
• assemble
• collect
• compile
• concentrate
• expand
• gain
• grow
• hoard
• increase
• pile up
• rack up
• swell