accumulate

American

[uh-kyoo-myuh-leyt] / əˈkyu myəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

accumulated, accumulating

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

to accumulate wealth.

verb (used without object)

accumulated, accumulating

to gather into a heap, mass, cover, etc.; form a steadily increasing quantity.

Snow accumulated in the driveway. His debts kept on accumulating.

accumulate British

/ əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

accumulable adjective
accumulative adjective
accumulatively adverb
accumulativeness noun
nonaccumulating adjective
overaccumulate verb
preaccumulate verb (used with object)
reaccumulate verb
superaccumulate verb (used without object)
unaccumulable adjective
unaccumulated adjective
well-accumulated adjective

Etymology

Origin of accumulate

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin accumulātus “heaped up,” past participle of accumulāre “to heap up,” from ac- ac- + cumul(us) “heap” ( cumulus ( def. ) ) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

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.

The station allows China to accumulate crucial experience in spacewalks, docking, maintenance and effects on the body.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Even if they accumulate more wealth, which on average they do, according to the study, they experience less financial security.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Their findings, published in Environmental Sciences Europe, show that these substances are not only present in the water but also accumulate in fish.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

Where others saw mere clutter, Margareta Magnusson spotted a moral issue: Who is responsible for what she called “the mountain of crap” most of us accumulate over a lifetime?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Dad had decided it would be easier, as he put it, to accumulate the capital necessary to finance the Prospector if he hit the casinos for a while.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023