Synonyms

accumulate

American

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

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

However, concerns remain because TFA continues to accumulate and may be extremely difficult to remove once it enters the environment.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

Her sentences are somewhat flat in tone, but the excitement comes from the acuity in her observations, which accumulate over pages to assemble a full, clear picture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The Ballon d'Or that had been handed to him in 2009 became a near-permanent fixture - he won it in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 as well, and would eventually accumulate eight.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Several ETFs have launched over the past few weeks to accumulate the token.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

Within a few minutes, some of us had more money than we had been able to accumulate in a year of cottage allowances.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

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