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” ( 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.

Example Sentences

As the shocks accumulate, the public may expect higher inflation indefinitely.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

“Over time, couples may spend less time focusing on each other and more time focused on caregiving responsibilities. Small losses in time, attention and emotional availability can accumulate over months or years.”

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

As skin gets older, damaged cells can accumulate instead of dying off.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

The microplastics ultimately accumulate in the food chain, harming humans and other creatures that eat the fish.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

The idea of what it means to be poor changed in the late sixties, when American manufacturers began to import their products from overseas and we began to accumulate “things.”

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

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