accrue

verb

ac·​crue ə-ˈkrü 

accrued; accruing

intransitive verb

1

: to accumulate or be added periodically

Interest accrues on a daily basis.

2

a

: to come about as a natural growth, increase, or advantage

the wisdom that accrues with age

b

: to come as a direct result of some state or action

… a huge competitive advantage would accrue to large firms with ample budgets for lawyers …

—Jennifer Rubin

3

: to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim

… action … does not accrue until the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known that he may have suffered injury …

—National Law Journal

transitive verb

: to accumulate or have due after a period of time

accrue vacation time

accruable

ə-ˈkrü-ə-bəl 

adjective

accruement

ə-ˈkrü-mənt 

noun

Examples of accrue in a Sentence

I'll get back all the money I invested, plus any interest and dividends that have accrued.

investments that have accrued interest and dividends

Recent Examples on the Web

Interest accrues at 18% against the building’s property tax account, and a large unpaid lien could put its mortgage at risk, even though co-op boards have none of DOF’s collection or enforcement powers. — Michael Wolfe, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Asking an 18- or 21-year-old athlete to sacrifice some portion of a present opportunity for an uncertain benefit that may principally accrue to someone else five or 10 years in the future is an inherently difficult organizing proposition. — Chris Corr, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2026

The good news is that the cardiovascular benefits begin to accrue quickly after quitting. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026

However, interest on unpaid tax generally accrues from the regular April federal return deadline. — Sharon Epperson, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acrewen, acruwen, probably borrowed from Anglo-French *acreue "increase," noun derivative from feminine of acreu, past participle of acreistre "to increase, grow," going back to Latin accrēscere, from ad- ad- + crēscere "to grow" — more at crescent entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for accrue

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

accrue

verb

ac·​crue ə-ˈkrü 

accrued; accruing

1

: to come about as a natural growth or addition

benefits accrue to society from education

2

: to accumulate over a period of time

accrued interest

accrual

-ˈkrü-əl

noun

Legal Definition

accrue

verb

ac·​crue ə-ˈkrü 

accrued; accruing

intransitive verb

1

: to come into existence as an enforceable claim : vest as a right

action…does not accrue until the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known that he may have suffered injury

—National Law Journal

Note: Statutes of limitations begin to run when a cause of action accrues.

2

: to come by way of increase or addition : arise as a growth or result

—usually used with to or from

advantages accruing to society from the freedom of the press

interest accrues to the seller as a result of the delay

3

: to be periodically accumulated in the process of time whether as an increase or a decrease

the accruing of taxes

allowing the receivable interest to accrue

transitive verb

1

: to accumulate or have due after a period of time

authorized by law to accrue leave in the maximum amount of 90 days

2

: to enter in the books as an accrual

Etymology

Middle French accreue increase, addition to a property, from feminine of accreu, past participle of acreistre to increase