as in to accumulate
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass
silt accreting at the mouth of the river over time
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Recent Examples of accrete
The spectral data provided by the JWST revealed hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere of HR 8799 c, one of the system's inner giants, providing strong evidence that the planet formed by first assembling a solid core before rapidly accreting gas.
—
Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile ice can accrete on both the top and underside of branches and power lines.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2026
X-ray data revealed that the black hole is accreting material at roughly 13 times the Eddington limit, placing it among the fastest-growing black holes known at this mass scale.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026
Built from wool and cotton remnants of shuttered mills and dyed by hand, her pieces accrete by knots, each like a scar.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrete
Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile ice can accrete on both the top and underside of branches and power lines.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2026
X-ray data revealed that the black hole is accreting material at roughly 13 times the Eddington limit, placing it among the fastest-growing black holes known at this mass scale.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026
Built from wool and cotton remnants of shuttered mills and dyed by hand, her pieces accrete by knots, each like a scar.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accrete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accrete
accumulate
Verb
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No accumulating snow is expected on the Grapevine over Interstate 5 but there could be a mix of rain and snow there Monday morning.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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On a cruise ship, the tote carries sunscreen, a change of clothes for port days, market finds, a book, and whatever else the day accumulates.—
Amanda Eyre Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accrete. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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