Showing results for accumulate. Search instead for Accumulate extra.

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing accumulate

List 2

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

"Of Mice and Men"

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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

“I’m mad. To take from these men who are working so hard for me, who’ve tried to accumulate all these tools. ... My heart felt so heavy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Deloitte’s figures include margin lending, where the aim typically is to accumulate investments with less money down, rather than pawning out assets for cash to buy other things.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The researchers suspect that when unusually large amounts accumulate near mitochondria, they may disturb the electrical conditions required for efficient energy production.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Research has found that small, consistent contributions to investment accounts over a lifetime are a reliable way to accumulate wealth, even for low earners.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Termites are even more extraordinary in the way they seem to accumulate intelligence as they gather together.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

By revealing how fresh magma accumulates beneath a volcano responsible for one of Earth's most extraordinary eruptions, the research brings scientists closer to understanding the processes that eventually make such colossal events possible.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

For the scientists, the most striking result was that even a molecule cells depend on every day can become harmful when it accumulates beyond normal levels.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

NPH is a brain disorder in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles, according to the Alzheimer’s Assn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

In the former, a claim becomes more credible as evidence accumulates.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

He says he means to use the fat that slowly accumulates in the tin-lid for polishing his boots, and roars with laughter for half an hour at his own joke.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

They accumulated significant wealth from slavery through the ownership of plantations in the West Indies and South America.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

Grocery shopping requires accumulated knowledge of ingredients, cooking, nutrition, family preferences and the mysterious geography of supermarkets.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

The restrainers mean the liberal-arts college: the Anglo-American institution that imparts to students the accumulated knowledge of mankind, teaching them to think in the process.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Officers investigating Sperino's murder realised AI could help them wade through the mountains of evidence they had accumulated since 1993.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

The points accumulated from all of these competitions would make up the US national rankings, and the top four finishers qualified for the national team for the following season.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Heavy rain in Scotland may cause some localised flooding with a Met Office yellow warning for 20-40mm of rain forecast with up to 80mm accumulating in a few areas through Friday.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Once researchers understood the role of GFAP, their next challenge was finding a way to reduce its production and prevent damaging levels of the protein from accumulating in brain cells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

That transition can, for some people, be harder than accumulating the money in the first place.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

However, large ether holders, or whales, might be accumulating, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

They kept growing like nothing anyone had seen, doubling their numbers every twenty-four hours, stacking hundreds on top of hundreds, accumulating by the millions.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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