accumulation

American  

[uh-kyoo-myuh-ley-shuhn] / əˌkju mjəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

accumulations plural

1. act or state of accumulating; state of being accumulated.

2. that which is accumulated; an accumulated amount, number, or mass.

3. growth by continuous additions, as of interest to principal.

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accumulation British  

/ əˌkjuːmjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of collecting together or becoming collected

2. something that has been collected, gathered, heaped, etc

3. finance

   1. the continuous growth of capital by retention of interest or earnings

   2. (in computing the yield on a bond purchased at a discount) the amount that is added to each yield to bring the cost of the bond into equality with its par value over its life Compare amortization

4. the taking of a first and an advanced university degree simultaneously

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonaccumulation
  noun
• overaccumulation
  noun
• preaccumulation
  noun
• reaccumulation
  noun
• superaccumulation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accumulations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of accumulation

First recorded in 1480–90, accumulation is from the Latin word accumulātiōn- (stem of accumulātiō ). See accumulate, -ion

Explanation

An accumulation is a gathering or increase of something over time. You might cross your fingers in hopes of a large accumulation of snow, so that you get a day off of school. Accumulation comes from a Latin word meaning "to heap up." The word continues to have this feeling of something growing upwards on top of itself, as if in a heap. If you keep putting money in the bank, the amount you have is the accumulation of your savings. If it is an interest bearing account, the interest will accumulate, making the total even larger.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accumulation accumulations

After mastering the accumulation phase of your wealth journey, managing the distribution phase can get increasingly tricky.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

Siegel said Fat Brands’ bankruptcy stemmed from its severe debt accumulation, not the underperformance of any particular restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The findings showed that plaque accumulation and sleep disruption did not worsen together in a steady decline.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Some places with fires had low snow accumulation last winter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The fourth and fifth games almost proved to him that he was experiencing some decline, or an accumulation of rust: He lost both.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Normal mice developed accumulations of the toxic protein in their brains and went on to show Parkinson's like symptoms.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers found that tubulin, a protein that serves as the building block of microtubules, may help prevent these toxic accumulations.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

While the wintry weather has come to a sudden end, significant snow accumulations across parts of Scotland, combined with heavy rainfall and rising temperatures, are increasing the risk of flooding as the snow melts.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026

But people don’t buy annuities and remain reluctant to tap their accumulations.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026

In 1944, when Planck was eighty-five, an Allied bomb fell on his house and he lost everything–papers, diaries, a lifetime of accumulations.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• accretion
• aggregation
• buildup
• growth
• inflation
• pile
• quantity