Synonyms

accumulate

American

[uh-kyoo-myuh-layt] / əˈkju mjəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

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

to accumulate wealth.

verb (used without object)

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

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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” ( see cumulus ( def. )) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Explanation

To accumulate means to gather, usually in large quantities. Let's hope your boyfriend is not the type to accumulate girlfriends. The root of accumulate is cumulus which means "mound" or "heap." You might have heard of cumulus clouds, those big fluffy clouds that look like giant piles of whipped cream. Think of these heaping helpings of clouds when you think of accumulate. The money in your savings account accumulates interest, though these days you won't accumulate much wealth that way! Police accumulate evidence until they have enough to charge someone with a crime.

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Vocabulary lists containing accumulate

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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:

accumulate accumulates accumulated accumulating

If you invested your $2,000-a-month Social Security at 64, you could accumulate a lot in contributions, growing to roughly $80,000 at 7% or $83,000 at 10%, before taxes and fees.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

When these errors are passed on during subsequent cell divisions, they can accumulate over time.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Many people have reservations about this scenario. After all, your son-in-law or daughter-in-law could remarry and the assets you worked a lifetime to accumulate could end up benefiting their new spouse.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Elara raises its rating on Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles to accumulate from reduce but cuts its target price to 338 rupees from 351 rupees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

It took me another twenty years to accumulate the confidence to deal with what the equivalent experience would have to be for me.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

NPH is a brain disorder in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles, according to the Alzheimer’s Assn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

In the former, a claim becomes more credible as evidence accumulates.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

Banks themselves see their net interest margins improve, since the interest they earn on newly extended credit accumulates faster than the interest they are paying on customer deposits like savings accounts.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Where body fat accumulates can be important for health, which is one reason waist circumference can provide information that BMI alone does not capture.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

Many of the textbook examples become intelligible when the little words are restored: The horse which was raced past the barn fell; Fat which people eat accumulates.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

But I was interested in the fact that he accumulated so much power, and so that was the basis on which I dug in back in 2022.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

But that would do little to erase the shortfall accumulated this year: without a sustained recovery in Middle Eastern product exports, further demand cuts might be needed to rebalance the market, the IEA said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

This suggests that the mantle cumulates, minerals that accumulated as the Moon's magma ocean crystallized, do not differ substantially in composition between the two hemispheres.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Researchers at Colorado State University confirmed Monday that storms this summer have generated a higher level of accumulated cyclone energy than ever recorded, surpassing the prior seasonal record set in 2018.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Southern colonies did not hesitate to invent ways to extend the terms of servitude, and the planter class accumulated uncultivated lands to restrict the options of free workers.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

However, the results do not mean that bacteria are suddenly capable of consuming the enormous amounts of conventional plastic already accumulating in the environment.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Over the past year or so, Berkshire Hathaway has become a major shareholder of YouTube’s parent, Alphabet, accumulating a stake worth about $38 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

"During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den," organisers wrote.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Known in Los Angeles art circles for his vast collection of African art and legendary dinner parties, Ernest “Ernie” Wolfe III has spent a lifetime accumulating art, friends and stories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

While accumulating a vast fortune in his native Canada, Stewart had become the focal point of a business scandal.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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