accrue

verb

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ac·crue | \ ə-ˈkrü

accrued; accruing

Definition of accrue

intransitive verb

1 : to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim

2a : 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 rewards due to the feminine will accrue to me— Germaine Greer

3 : to accumulate or be added periodically interest accrues on a daily basis

transitive verb

: to accumulate or have due after a period of time accrue vacation time

Other Words from accrue More Example Sentences Learn More About accrue

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 On this date, student loan interest also will begin to accrue and student loans in default will be subject to collection. — Zack Friedman, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2022 Halley Knigge, a spokeswoman for REI, said that under its new policies the company allowed part-time workers to accrue sick leave for the first time and that the disciplinary policy was not substantively new but merely reworded. — New York Times, 28 July 2021 Many of the eight million or so borrowers now enrolled in these plans aren’t paying enough to reduce their balances and have continued to accrue interest. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 Still, deaths have continued to accrue steadily: Since last spring, the number of people who have died each quarter in Ocean County has surpassed the number of fatalities during the three months before. — New York Times, 10 Apr. 2022 Many continue running on empty without the opportunity to replenish, and that psychological distress only continues to accrue over time. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2022 State attorneys general say those forbearance arrangements had driven student borrowers further into debt because while those borrowers were able to pause or reduce their payments temporarily, their loans still continued to accrue interest. — NBC News, 14 Jan. 2022 However, interest on the loan continues to accrue and could ultimately cause the amount to be repaid over the life of the loan to be higher. — Steve Leblanc, chicagotribune.com, 13 Jan. 2022 So if debt continues to accrue, that won’t be an option again for a while. — Blake Farmer, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accrue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near accrue

accrual

accrue

accrued

Statistics for accrue

Last Updated

11 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Accrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accrue. Accessed 18 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for accrue

accrue

verb

ac·crue | \ ə-ˈkrü

accrued; accruing

Legal Definition of accrue

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