accrete

verb

ac·​crete ə-ˈkrēt How to pronounce accrete (audio)
accreted; accreting

intransitive verb

: to grow or become attached by accretion

transitive verb

: to cause to adhere or become attached
also : accumulate

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of accrete was in 1712

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.

Legal Definition

accrete

verb
ac·​crete ə-ˈkrēt How to pronounce accrete (audio)
accreted; accreting

intransitive verb

: to grow or become attached by accretion

transitive verb

: to cause to adhere or become attached

More from Merriam-Webster on accrete

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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