accrued; accruing
1
: to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim
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
rewards due to the feminine will accrue to me—
Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer3
: to accumulate or be added periodically
interest accrues on a daily basis
: 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
The interest keeps accruing until the appeals process is finally over, at which point Trump would either have to pay Carroll or the judgement against him would be wiped out.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
The Delta Conveyance project is still accruing permits from various agencies, and according to CalMatters, state officials said the build could start by 2029.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025
Brown is eligible after debuting in September 2022, retaining his rookie status and then accruing a full year of service time in 2023.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 June 2025
The plane accrued more than 41,000 hours of flying, with almost 8,000 takeoffs and landings, including some 700 cycles in the past 12 months — the average time for an aircraft of that build, Cirium said.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrue
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Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
The Delta Conveyance project is still accruing permits from various agencies, and according to CalMatters, state officials said the build could start by 2029.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025
Brown is eligible after debuting in September 2022, retaining his rookie status and then accruing a full year of service time in 2023.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 June 2025
The plane accrued more than 41,000 hours of flying, with almost 8,000 takeoffs and landings, including some 700 cycles in the past 12 months — the average time for an aircraft of that build, Cirium said.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 12 June 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 30 Jun. 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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