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

“Maintaining constant control becomes harder in wartime, because economic disruption, physical destruction and public anger accumulate simultaneously, and at some point, they might explode.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Many state workers accumulate large balances of unused vacation after decades of being on the government payroll.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Carrots absorb more insecticide than any other crop studied; if the chemical used happens to be lindane, carrots actually accumulate higher concentrations than are present in the soil.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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