accumulation

noun ac·cu·mu·la·tion \ ə-ˌkyü-m(y)ə-ˈlā-shən \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: accumulation in a Sentence

Definition of accumulation

1 : something that has accumulated or has been accumulated

an impressive accumulation of knowledge

2 : the action or process of accumulating something : the state of being or having accumulated

the steady accumulation of snow

3 : increase or growth by addition especially when continuous or repeated

accumulation of interest

See accumulation defined for kids

Examples of accumulation in a Sentence

a vast accumulation of evidence about the dangers of smoking
the accumulation of leaves on the ground is proceeding at a much faster rate than my raking

Recent Examples of accumulation from the Web

The basic hypothesis that Martin and her colleagues present (drawing on a suggestion from 2014) is that mental fatigue results from the accumulation of a brain chemical called adenosine.

— alex hutchinson, Outside Online, "Here’s What We Know About Mental Fatigue," 10 July 2018
Still, the growth is staggering: The worldwide accumulation of e-waste has more than doubled in the last nine years.

— New York Times, "E-Waste Offers an Economic Opportunity as Well as Toxicity," 5 July 2018
Johnny Depp appears on the latest cover of Rolling Stone for an in-depth look at his accumulation of legal woes and personal struggles.

— connor whittum, Billboard, "10 Things We Learned From Johnny Depp's Revealing 'Rolling Stone' Interview," 22 June 2018
Relative economic stability masked the slow accumulation of power by President Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.

— margarita herdocia, Time, "Nicaragua Is Heading Down the Same Dark Path as Venezuela," 13 June 2018
But the accumulation of incidents reflected a pattern.

— holly v. hays, Indianapolis Star, "8 complaints, 2 lawsuits, 1 shooting: Why one officer didn’t draw more IMPD scrutiny," 8 June 2018
Premature fatal illness getting in the way of not just the accumulation of your years — aging never had much allure for me until later — but getting in the way of your artistic endeavors suddenly felt like a huge threat to me.

— Longreads, "A New Yorker, and a Sick Person," 8 June 2018
Without that function, the accumulation of carbohydrates in the cells leads to severe skeletal deformities, short stature and joint problems that can limit mobility and life span.

— sophie haigney, San Francisco Chronicle, "She wasn’t expected to live past 7. Saturday she graduates from college with honors," 8 June 2018
The internet’s purpose is to ratify knowledge through the accumulation and manipulation of ever expanding data.

— henry a. kissinger, The Atlantic, "How the Enlightenment Ends," 15 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of accumulation

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French accumulacion, borrowed from Latin accumulātiōn-, accumulātiō, from accumulāre "to accumulate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

accumulation Synonyms

ACCUMULATION Defined for Kids

accumulation

noun ac·cu·mu·la·tion \ ə-ˌkyü-myə-ˈlā-shən \

Definition of accumulation for Students

1 : an act of collecting or gathering

the accumulation of snow

2 : collection 2

an accumulation of junk

Law Dictionary

accumulation

noun ac·cu·mu·la·tion

legal Definition of accumulation

: increase or growth by addition especially when continuous or repeated; specifically : an increase in the amount of a fund or property by the continuous addition to it of the income or interest it generates

to treat a stock dividend as principal when local law classifies it as income may be deemed an accumulation
—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

— see also accumulation trust at trust

Note: Because they prevent the enjoyment and benefit of wealth, accumulations are deemed contrary to public policy. A provision in a will for an accumulation will be invalidated if found to be unreasonable by the court.