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

Between 2017 and 2021, Maduro’s government experienced a cycle of unprecedented hyperinflation and accumulated a drop in gross domestic product of close to 80 points in its first seven years in office. —Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025

In the areas north of Route 50, including Baltimore Washington International (BWI) airport, a wintry mix may accumulate to approximately one-half inch before turning completely to rain. —Kaicey Baylor, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025

Across his career, Metcalf has been fined 15 times, accumulating over $200,000. —Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2025

That week, details about Balmer, who had turned himself in the day after the fire, began to accumulate. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

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