accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late ə-ˈkyü-m(y)ə-ˌlāt 

accumulated; accumulating

transitive verb

: to gather or pile up especially little by little : amass

accumulate a fortune

intransitive verb

: to increase gradually in quantity or number

snow accumulating to a depth of several feet

Synonyms of accumulate

• increase
• rise
• accelerate
• expand
• swell

Examples of accumulate in a Sentence

Evidence of his guilt is accumulating.

the number of complaints about that mail order firm is really accumulating

Recent Examples on the Web

While of course folding and putting away your clothing is better than allowing shirts and dresses to accumulate in a pile on a chair, yes, there is such thing as too much folding. —Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026

Points will accumulate for 10 straight races in the playoffs, so technically a driver could clinch a championship before the final race was ever run. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2026

This means that wealth-accumulating developers seeking to erect skyscrapers with expensive luxury apartments that feature the city’s most glorious vistas are the ones hardest hit by the regulatory restrictions that landmark designation typically imposes. —Michael S. Hiller, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026

Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney, and director Paul Feig have a certified December hit on their hands, accumulating $94 million to date. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin accumulātus, past participle of accumulāre "to heap up, add to, increase," from ad- ad- + cumulāre "to gather into a heap" — more at cumulate

Note: In part a Latinization of Middle French accumuler.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for accumulate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate
• ameliorate

Kids Definition

accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late ə-ˈkyü-myə-ˌlāt 

accumulated; accumulating

1

: to gather or pile up especially little by little : amass

accumulate a fortune

2

: to increase in quantity, number, or amount

rubbish accumulates quickly

Legal Definition

accumulate

verb

ac·​cu·​mu·​late

accumulated; accumulating

transitive verb

: to gather especially little by little

specifically : to add (income from a fund) back into the principal

intransitive verb

: to increase gradually in amount or number