Synonyms

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.

"When we systemically administered our nanoagent in mice bearing human breast cancer cells, it efficiently accumulated in tumors, robustly generated reactive oxygen species and completely eradicated the cancer without adverse effects," Olena Taratula said.

From Science Daily

"Instead, they may have accreted, or accumulated, a significant inventory of COMs at birth, providing a chemical foundation that could later interact with the liquid water in their interiors."

From Science Daily

"Before, it took us six to eight months to accumulate enough cargo to go to Venezuela," he told AFP.

From Barron's

Questions now pivot to the Ellison family, which will control a constellation of media properties spanning the globe -- though at the cost of accumulating a pile of debt.

From Barron's

Much of the anticipated surplus remains outside major pricing hubs, with Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan barrels accumulating on tankers at sea.

From The Wall Street Journal

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