accrue
Americanverb (used without object)
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accrues,
present (3rd person singular)
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accrued,
past participle, past
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accruing
present participle
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to happen or result as a natural growth, addition, etc.
- Synonyms:
- gather, collect, accumulate
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to be added as a matter of periodic gain or advantage, such as an employment benefit or interest on money.
Paid time off is accrued weekly, at a rate of one hour per week.
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Law. to become a present and enforceable right or demand.
verb
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to increase by growth or addition, esp (of capital) to increase by periodic addition of interest
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(often foll by to) to fall naturally (to); come into the possession (of); result (for)
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law (of a right or demand) to become capable of being enforced
Usage
What does accrue mean? Accrue means to grow and accumulate naturally or to be added periodically. It’s especially used in the context of finance to refer to the growth of interest in an account. The past tense of accrue (accrued) can also be used as an adjective describing something that has been accumulated, as in accrued interest. The noun form of accrue is accrual. In law, accrue means to become a legal right. Example: A retirement fund allows money to accrue over the course of your career so that you can support yourself once you stop working.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accruesimple
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accruessimple
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have accruedperfect
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has accruedperfect
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am accruingprogressive
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are accruingprogressive
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is accruingprogressive
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have been accruingperfect progressive
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has been accruingperfect progressive
Past
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accruedsimple
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had accruedperfect
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was accruingprogressive
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were accruingprogressive
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had been accruingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accrue
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English acruen, acrewen, probably from Anglo-French accru(e), Middle French accreu(e), past participle of ac(c)resitre “to increase,” from Latin accrēscere “to grow”; see ac-, crew 1, accretion
Explanation
To accrue is to accumulate or to keep growing in value or size. If you can accrue enough extra credit to build up your grade, you won't have to take the final exam. Early forms of the word accrue were used as early as the 15th century with the meaning "to increase" or "to grow." Many modern uses for accrue involve money or finances, as when you accrue, or earn, interest on a bank account. You can accrue debt too, as interest grows on top of money owed until you pay it back. It's possible to accrue benefits over the time you work somewhere, or you can accrue demerits while you're misbehaving somewhere.
Vocabulary lists containing accrue
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
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Born a Crime
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The Road
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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.
See Examples For:
The suit is an attempt to insulate Paramount from those costs, which it says will only accrue because of the ongoing legal action.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Spend enough years standing behind pyramids of hamburgers, posing at fry stations and inserting yourself into the iconography of American restaurant chains, and eventually the props begin to accrue meanings of their own.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
The key aspect, however, is that “the majority of the value will accrue to the frontier models as they orchestrate other models, as they make them more efficient.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
According to Wright, the board allowed Adelkoff to accrue eight weeks of vacation a year as CEO, a number that was reduced to four weeks in 2012.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
He walked to the top of a rise and crouched and watched the day accrue.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
“While most claims for exclusion are for modest amounts, the bulk of the excluded gains, and thus tax savings, accrues to high-income individuals making large exclusion claims,” the Treasury economists wrote.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
“History suggests that transformative technologies create enormous value—and much of that value accrues to the companies that build and deploy them, and to the investors who own them,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
But much more than that, it is a story about how one individual, when he accrues enough wealth and influence and connections, can work the entire global system to his benefit for very nefarious purposes.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2026
When the amount accrues to $250,000, including interest, do I give him that money or should he have the $250,000, plus whatever interest is paid?
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 7, 2025
In England, if a bill is dishonoured by non-acceptance, a right of action at once accrues to the holder.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various
Last week, Bancel learned the melanoma trial had accrued enough data to reach statistical significance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
“It was simply a matter of reducing accrued vacation liability on the books and paying it out,” Adelkoff said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A statement from Carroll's legal team confirmed that she had been paid more than $5.62m - the $5m awarded in damages plus the interest accrued during the appeal.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The ruling also requires payment of unspecified accrued interest.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Believe it or not, your accrued, cultural knowledge, added to a little enthusiasm and singing, is more than enough to be able to incorporate music into a lesson or curriculum.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The company has also been accruing fines as air regulators demand the company take additional steps to mitigate the smell and vermin that has been drawn to the site and surrounding neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
October 1 is significant because it is the date on which a $7 million-a-day "ticking fee" begins accruing for Warner Bros.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
That echoes findings from other research showing that the world is getting wealthier, but with riches disproportionately accruing to the wealthiest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Berman pointed out that my loans are still accruing interest — which means my principal balance will keep growing.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
The contract provided that all monies accruing to Malcolm X “shall be made payable by the agent to ‘Muhammad’s Mosque No. 2,’ ” but Malcolm X felt this was insufficient.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
