accrete

American  

[uh-kreet] / əˈkrit /

verb (used without object)

accreted, accreting

1. to grow together; adhere (usually followed by to ).

---

verb (used with object)

accreted, accreting

1. to add, as by growth.

adjective

1. Botany. grown together.

accrete British  

/ əˈkriːt /

verb

1. to grow or cause to grow together; be or become fused

2. to make or become bigger, as by addition

---

Etymology

Origin of accrete

First recorded in 1775–85; back formation from accretion

Explanation

To accrete is to gradually gather into a pile or grow together into a mass. When tiny dust particles slowly accumulate under your bed, they may accrete into a big dust bunny. The word accrete describes how small particles or elements slowly come together to form a larger mass. This term is often used in science to explain processes like the formation of planets or stars, where bits of matter accrete and build up over time. You can also think of how snowflakes accumulate on the ground, creating a thick layer of snow. The word comes from the Latin accretus, which means "grown together," highlighting the natural process of accumulation in our universe.

Example Sentences

"They are so dense that when they accrete material on their surface they can undergo runaway nuclear reactions, which we detect as novae."

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2025

Once it’s there, minerals begin to accrete around this core.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2024

“Essentially what will happen is that there’s an about 10-Jupiter-mass object that will form, and then that will accrete very rapidly,” Abel says.

From National Geographic • Sep. 14, 2023

But when you accrete energy onto a supermassive black hole, a fraction of that energy actually goes into an outflow as a jet.

From Scientific American • Jun. 22, 2023

The lumps accrete dust particles as they move.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan