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Synonyms

accumulate

American

[uh-kyoo-myuh-layt] / əˈkju mjəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

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

to accumulate wealth.

verb (used without object)

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Derived Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

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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” ( see cumulus ( def. )) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Explanation

To accumulate means to gather, usually in large quantities. Let's hope your boyfriend is not the type to accumulate girlfriends. The root of accumulate is cumulus which means "mound" or "heap." You might have heard of cumulus clouds, those big fluffy clouds that look like giant piles of whipped cream. Think of these heaping helpings of clouds when you think of accumulate. The money in your savings account accumulates interest, though these days you won't accumulate much wealth that way! Police accumulate evidence until they have enough to charge someone with a crime.

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Vocabulary lists containing accumulate

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

accumulate accumulates accumulated accumulating

Although alpha-synuclein has major clinical importance, researchers have not fully understood the cellular processes that cause it to accumulate.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

When the gene is damaged, some of those growth promoting proteins can accumulate, potentially helping cancer cells survive and spread.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

Rather than continuing to accumulate young talent around their lone lottery picks, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, they decided they were ready to accelerate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

For one thing, young people who live with their parents are less likely to be married and they accumulate less wealth, especially housing wealth.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

This song does not have a refrain, but the verses themselves accumulate lyrics.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Typically, having an estate plan becomes more important after someone gets married, has children or accumulates assets around which there could be confusion if something happened to the person.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Atsukuni Tabata, 56, who works at an advertising company, said it was "scary" not knowing what AI would do as it "accumulates more and more data".

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

History accumulates faster than collective memory can accommodate it.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

In a presidency good news comes and goes but bad news accumulates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The word Maven comes from the Yiddish, and it means one who accumulates knowledge.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Since then, the papal air miles have accumulated under three more popes, but the drama and impact have gone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Ben Dancer has chosen to dance for several hours at a time before taking his accumulated rest.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Communities across all states bordering Wyoming face darkness, breathing difficulties and roofs collapsing under accumulated ash.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

The farm is also supplying its honey to the restaurant; accumulated at a small scale, the kitchen planned its use strategically.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Three months later they received in a large envelope twenty-nine letters and more than fifty pictures that he had accumulated during the leisure of the high seas.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den," organisers wrote.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Offensively, the Bruins have the chance to build off their most productive game yet, scoring 52 points and accumulating 645 yards against the Boilermakers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Records tumbled in overheated basins like the Atlantic and Mediterranean and also the tropical Pacific, where the strongest El Nino weather pattern in the modern era is fast accumulating strength.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

As a result, senescent neutrophils begin accumulating in the bloodstream and tissues.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

The feeling of their spit striking me, running down my neck, and their germs accumulating on my face, felt disgusting.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023