accrue

[ uh-kroo ]

See synonyms for: accrue accrued accruing accruement on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),ac·crued, ac·cru·ing.

to happen or result as a natural growth, addition, etc.
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.

Law. to become a present and enforceable right or demand.

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-, crew¹, accretion

Other words for accrue

1	accumulate, collect; gather
2	grow, increase

See synonyms for accrue on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for accrue

1	dispel, disperse, dissipate, scatter
2	dwindle, decrease, diminish, lessen

See antonyms for accrue on Thesaurus.com

Other words from accrue

ac·cru·a·ble, adjective
ac·crue·ment, noun
non·ac·cru·ing, adjective
su·per·ac·crue, verb (used without object), su·per·ac·crued, su·per·ac·cru·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use accrue in a sentence

Players on teams with first-round byes have no chance to accrue points during the opening weekend, but they tend to have the best players and the best Super Bowl odds, so don’t be shy about drafting them early.
The ultimate playoff fantasy football rankings | Neil Greenberg | January 7, 2021 | Washington Post
Double XP tokens accrued in “Warzone” before the merger now can’t be used in “Warzone.”
Call of Duty’s merged world has everything a player could want. Except logic. | Mike Hume | December 18, 2020 | Washington Post
However, as data has accrued, the Gaia scientists have found it easier to separate the fake parallax from the real.
Astronomers Get Their Wish, and a Cosmic Crisis Gets Worse | Natalie Wolchover | December 17, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Its benefits accrue not only to patients, they argue, but to doctors and nurses as well.
How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis? (Ep. 444) | Stephen J. Dubner | December 17, 2020 | Freakonomics
Overdraft policies vary by bank but the typical fee is $35, and a customer can accrue additional penalties multiple times a day, CRL reported.
JPMorgan Chase Bank Wrongly Charged 170,000 Customers Overdraft Fees. Federal Regulators Refused to Penalize It. | by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum | December 14, 2020 | ProPublica

It's now routine for people to graduate with $200K and even $300K of educational debt, at plus 7% interest, accruing daily.
The Perils of Law School | Megan McArdle | September 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
When an assignment of it is made, the assignee may sue in his own name for rent accruing after the assignment.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
Of the taxes accruing to the Insular Treasury under the above law, 10 per cent.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
On the 31st of December in every year the interest accruing will be added to the capital and will in like manner bear interest.
Social Comptabilism, Cheque and Clearing Service & Proposed Law | Ernest Solvay
The output is seized in its entirety, and not limited to the extent accruing to British scrip holders only.
Origin of the Anglo-Boer War Revealed (2nd ed.) | C. H. Thomas
She likewise renounces in favor of China any claim to indemnities accruing thereunder subsequent to March 14, 1917.
Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume XII | Various

British Dictionary definitions for accrue

accrue

/ (əˈkruː) /

verb-crues, -cruing or -crued (intr)

to increase by growth or addition, esp (of capital) to increase by periodic addition of interest
(often foll by to) to fall naturally (to); come into the possession (of); result (for)

law (of a right or demand) to become capable of being enforced

Origin of accrue

C15: from Old French accreue growth, ultimately from Latin accrēscere to increase, from ad- to, in addition + crēscere to grow

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

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