accreted; accreting
: to grow or become attached by accretion
: to cause to adhere or become attached
also
: accumulate
Synonyms
Examples of accrete in a Sentence
silt accreting at the mouth of the river over time
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of the fun facts: the location of modern Kamchatka arc is related to islands accreting to the Peninsula in the last 7 million years.
—
Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2010
The Earth, once thought to have slowly accreted over 100 million years, actually took less than three, the paper says.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2023
The gravity was great enough that whenever their orbits brought them near another object, that object was either drawn in and accreted through the pull of gravity or flung away as its orbit was changed.
—Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2016
The new photo further exposes a larger, darker central region surrounded by bright accreting gas in a ring-like shape.
—Ariana Garcia, Chron, 14 Apr. 2023
Any dust and gas not accreted onto rocks by then is lost, burned in the star or dispersed in space, and no more material for planet building is available.
—Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2016
Even Riis accreted itself into being: Tidal rolls shaped by the moon dragged rocks and bits of silt to land until the beach emerged, drawn into being by the ancient will of nature itself.
—Jenna Wortham, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2023
In the lugubrious unfolding of geologic time, specks of waterborne nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese slowly accreted onto them.
—WIRED, 28 Feb. 2023
The various ridges of pink and orange material represent clouds of dust being broken down by young stars beginning to accrete and exert their gravitational muscle.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 12 Jan. 2023
See More
Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2010
The Earth, once thought to have slowly accreted over 100 million years, actually took less than three, the paper says.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2023
The gravity was great enough that whenever their orbits brought them near another object, that object was either drawn in and accreted through the pull of gravity or flung away as its orbit was changed.
—Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2016
The new photo further exposes a larger, darker central region surrounded by bright accreting gas in a ring-like shape.
—Ariana Garcia, Chron, 14 Apr. 2023
Any dust and gas not accreted onto rocks by then is lost, burned in the star or dispersed in space, and no more material for planet building is available.
—Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2016
Even Riis accreted itself into being: Tidal rolls shaped by the moon dragged rocks and bits of silt to land until the beach emerged, drawn into being by the ancient will of nature itself.
—Jenna Wortham, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2023
In the lugubrious unfolding of geologic time, specks of waterborne nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese slowly accreted onto them.
—WIRED, 28 Feb. 2023
The various ridges of pink and orange material represent clouds of dust being broken down by young stars beginning to accrete and exert their gravitational muscle.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 12 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accrete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
back-formation from accretion
First Known Use
1712, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near accrete
Cite this Entry
“Accrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accrete. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Legal Definition
accrete
verb
ac·crete
ə-ˈkrēt 
accreted; accreting
: to grow or become attached by accretion
: to cause to adhere or become attached
More from Merriam-Webster on accrete
Britannica English: Translation of accrete for Arabic Speakers
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