accumulate

[uh-kyoo-myuh-leyt]

See more synonyms for accumulate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, ac·cu·mu·lat·ing.

to gather or collect, often in gradual degrees; heap up: to accumulate wealth.

verb (used without object), ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, ac·cu·mu·lat·ing.

to gather into a heap, mass, cover, etc.; form a steadily increasing quantity: Snow accumulated in the driveway. His debts kept on accumulating.

Origin of accumulate

1520–30; < Latin accumulātus heaped up (past participle of accumulāre), equivalent to ac- ac- + cumul(us) heap + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsac·cu·mu·la·ble, adjectivenon·ac·cu·mu·lat·ing, adjectiveo·ver·ac·cu·mu·late, verb, o·ver·ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, o·ver·ac·cu·mu·lat·ing.pre·ac·cu·mu·late, verb (used with object), pre·ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, pre·ac·cu·mu·lat·ing.re·ac·cu·mu·late, verb, re·ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, re·ac·cu·mu·lat·ing.su·per·ac·cu·mu·late, verb (used without object), su·per·ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, su·per·ac·cu·mu·lat·ing.un·ac·cu·mu·la·ble, adjectiveun·ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, adjectivewell-ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for accumulate

compile, acquire, swell, assemble, accrue, increase, collect, concentrate, gain, hoard, grow, expand, incorporate, cache, profit, gather, procure, unite, agglomerate, amalgamate

Examples from the Web for accumulate

Contemporary Examples of accumulate

Bolstered by the momentum of Savage, Masters continued to accumulate up-and-coming conservative talent.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio
Caitlin Dickson
November 23, 2014
This means that their gene pools stagnate and accumulate increasingly harmful mutations.
Our Taste for Cheap Palm Oil Is Killing Chimpanzees
Carrie Arnold
July 11, 2014
To accumulate wealth so fast and on such a scale, it is necessary to eliminate independent law enforcement.
Ukraine’s Revolutionary Lesson for Russia
David Satter
March 2, 2014
Until early November it was very easy to accumulate a large amount of money by selling, and re-selling highly modified cars.
My Secret Life in Los Santos
Eli Lake
November 29, 2013
I suspect that the answer was not to just accumulate victory points.
Tammany Hall: the Game Where You Play as a New York City Ward Boss
Noah Kristula-Green
May 4, 2013

Historical Examples of accumulate

The painter can accumulate ugliness, but I do not remember a demon worth the name.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
It would be easy as well as instructive to accumulate examples.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
Upon the funeral pile they accumulate neither apparel nor perfumes.
Tacitus on Germany
Tacitus
From time to time it cleans out the dirt and rubbish which accumulate in the hole.
The Industries of Animals
Frdric Houssay
The “something” proved to be £2500, which was to accumulate in the hands of trustees.
The Way of All Flesh
Samuel Butler

British Dictionary definitions for accumulate

accumulate

verb

to gather or become gathered together in an increasing quantity; amass; collect

Derived Formsaccumulable, adjectiveaccumulative, adjectiveaccumulatively, adverbaccumulativeness, noun

Word Origin for accumulate

C16: from Latin accumulātus, past participle of accumulāre to heap up, from cumulus a heap

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

Word Origin and History for accumulate

1520s, from Latin accumulatus, past participle of accumulare "to heap up" (see accumulation). Related: Accumulated; accumulating.