accrued; accruing
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
Jennifer Rubin3
: 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
National Law Journal
: to accumulate or have due after a period of time
accrue vacation time
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
For decades, conservation organizations have been working to restore oyster populations in the bay, accruing data along the way to learn from successes and failures.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
And that kind of flaw, sadly, always accrues to the actors.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the possibility that the profits of AI might not ultimately accrue to companies that train and serve models like OpenAI and Anthropic.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Most people who accrue a fair amount of money and/or power ask that question at some juncture.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrue
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JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
And that kind of flaw, sadly, always accrues to the actors.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the possibility that the profits of AI might not ultimately accrue to companies that train and serve models like OpenAI and Anthropic.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Most people who accrue a fair amount of money and/or power ask that question at some juncture.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrue
Cite this Entry
“Accrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accrue. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
noun
-ˈkrü-əl
Legal Definition
accrue
verb
ac·crue
ə-ˈkrü
accrued; accruing
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
National Law JournalNote: 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
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
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