accumulates

verb

present tense third-person singular of accumulate
1
as in increases
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the number of complaints about that mail order firm is really accumulating

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collects
to bring together in one body or place finally accumulated enough donated books to hold a book sale

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in gathers
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass clouds accumulating on the western horizon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of accumulates Because microorganisms in water turn regular mercury into methylmercury, a toxic chemical form that binds tightly to fish tissue, the heavy metal accumulates to higher levels in aquatic animals. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026 His focus now is on handling the load, improving his mobility and learning how his body recovers as the work accumulates. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026 None of this ever accumulates much weight, however, since the conflicts are all dulled by the one-note absurdity of the farcical plotting. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 Roads and buildings also change how snow accumulates and water drains. — Ming Xiao, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 Marketing will lean harder on sleep framing as DAZZEON-style data accumulates. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 Aging occurs not merely because damage accumulates but because these protective systems themselves become less effective over time. — Venki Ramakrishnan, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026 While a vinegar solution can cut through general road film and grime that accumulates on the windshield exterior, the hazy film that develops on the other side is another matter. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 12 Sep. 2026 This contaminant accumulates in larger fish that eat smaller fish. — Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accumulates
  1. increases
  2. collects
  3. gathers
  4. rises
  5. assembles
  6. concentrates
  7. accelerates
  8. amasses
Verb
  • Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • This concern increases tenfold for flight attendants, as a negative interaction isn’t necessarily fleeting; they may be stuck in the air with rude or disorderly passengers for several hours.
    — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Dual-arm robots handle parcels around a conveyor and fold clothing on a work surface, while a humanoid moves through a furnished environment and collects laundry.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Contacts Backup collects your contacts but doesn’t store them in your My Avira dashboard.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of collects
Verb
  • Water that gathers above the protective liner on the stacks will be treated as regular stormwater and drain into Tampa Bay, Donica explained.
    — Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The cameras mounted by Flock and two major competitors, Rekor and Axon, are only small pieces of the technological net that gathers data on movements, consumer habits, employment and other things, most of it collected privately.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of gathers
Verb
  • As the cost of petrochemical feedstocks for virgin synthetics rises by as much as 60 percent or more, the price difference between virgin and bio-based options is getting smaller.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • As atmospheric carbon rises to levels beyond precedent in human history and consequently raises the global temperature to levels unprecedented on the human scale, the importance of places where carbon is sequestered becomes ever greater.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • This business context foundation maps the relationships across content, people, projects, systems and domain knowledge, then assembles the unique context each AI agent needs to do its job.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Much like an engine compresses fuel before ignition, FLARE first assembles the fuel to high density before delivering a separate, rapid burst of energy to trigger fusion.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of assembles
Verb
  • The column also presents the military leadership cuts as a reason for concern about the resilience of democratic institutions, especially if experienced leaders are removed while the administration concentrates power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The honest answer is where the value concentrates, not where the automation is easiest.
    — Manu Khetan, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of concentrates
Verb
  • Communities are being asked to do more with less as climate change accelerates, and the skills needed to care for these places are being lost.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This swelling warps the battery’s internal structure and accelerates degradation, making large-format cells unsafe and short-lived.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • Speakers noted the Republican nominee's oil and gas investments as the energy sector amasses profits while the Iran war drives up fuel costs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Kang amasses writings from over the course of her career, beginning with her Nobel lecture and reaching deep into her life’s documents, with diaries, poems, and photographs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
Definition of amasses

Browse Nearby Words

accumulated
accumulates
accumulating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accumulates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accumulates. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of discreet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All