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
- accelerate
- appreciate
- balloon
- boom
- build up
- burgeon
- bourgeon
- climb
- enlarge
- escalate
- expand
- gain
- increase
- mount
- multiply
- mushroom
- proliferate
- rise
- roll up
- snowball
- spread
- swell
- wax
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Evidence of his guilt is accumulating. the number of complaints about that mail order firm is really accumulating
Recent Examples on the Web In a news release posted Tuesday, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said debris and moisture can accumulate in the vehicles' harness modules after attaching an accessory tow hitch, which are sold at dealerships. 
CBS News, 23 Aug. 2022 The FedEx Cup is also a season-long event in which players accumulate points based on their play, and the top points-getters land lucrative payouts. Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2022 Based on the results of the latest study, Alnylam plans to ask US regulators by the end of the year to approve Onpattro to treat transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, in which the proteins accumulate in the heart. Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2022 This could be altering where, when, and how these parasites accumulate in the ocean. Michael Allen, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Aug. 2022 Chances are slim that forever chemicals accumulate in vegetables, top MWRD officials wrote in memos sent during 2016 and 2019. Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2022 The Pendleton Act restored some balance by creating a class of career officials able to accumulate experience in governing who would work under political appointees. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 25 July 2022 Until recently, a silver lining of Omicron has been its tendency to instead accumulate in the upper respiratory tract, causing symptoms more similar to a cold or the flu. Erin Prater, Fortune, 12 July 2022 Health experts agree that outdoor activities are still much safer than indoors, since viral aerosols don’t have a chance to accumulate in the air. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 July 2022 See More
CBS News, 23 Aug. 2022 The FedEx Cup is also a season-long event in which players accumulate points based on their play, and the top points-getters land lucrative payouts. Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2022 Based on the results of the latest study, Alnylam plans to ask US regulators by the end of the year to approve Onpattro to treat transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, in which the proteins accumulate in the heart. Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2022 This could be altering where, when, and how these parasites accumulate in the ocean. Michael Allen, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Aug. 2022 Chances are slim that forever chemicals accumulate in vegetables, top MWRD officials wrote in memos sent during 2016 and 2019. Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2022 The Pendleton Act restored some balance by creating a class of career officials able to accumulate experience in governing who would work under political appointees. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 25 July 2022 Until recently, a silver lining of Omicron has been its tendency to instead accumulate in the upper respiratory tract, causing symptoms more similar to a cold or the flu. Erin Prater, Fortune, 12 July 2022 Health experts agree that outdoor activities are still much safer than indoors, since viral aerosols don’t have a chance to accumulate in the air. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 July 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
accumulate
verb
ac·cu·mu·late ə-ˈkyü-myə-ˌlāt
accumulated; accumulating
1
: collect sense 3, gather
In a very short time they had accumulated all sorts of fascinating facts about tombs and temples … Zilpha Keatley Snyder, The Egypt Game
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, The Egypt Game2
: to increase in quantity or number
My money is accumulating.
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
accumulates
verb
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
- increases
- rises
- accelerates
- swells
- expands
- multiplies
- proliferates
- climbs
- intensifies
- waxes
- spreads
- escalates
- enlarges
- surges
- snowballs
- mounts
- gains
- mushrooms
- appreciates
- balloons
- jumps
- rolls up
- booms
- builds up
- heightens
- burgeons
- skyrockets
- bourgeons
- distends
- inflates
- redoubles
- peaks
- bulks
- rockets
- crests
- blows up
- puffs (up)
- crescendoes
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- decreases
- diminishes
- recedes
- lessens
- wanes
- dwindles
- contracts
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
- collects
- gathers
- assembles
- amasses
- garners
- groups
- corrals
- concentrates
- combines
- joins
- packs
- lumps
- congregates
- piles
- constellates
- stacks
- gets together
- organizes
- rounds up
- unites
- bulks (up)
- compiles
- merges
- musters
- picks up
- arranges
- connects
- balls
- heaps
- clusters
- bunches
- raises
- pools
- huddles
- batches
- bands
- rallies
- links
- collates
- brigades
- flocks
- swarms
- herds
- throngs
- systematizes
- archives
- presses
- hives
- regroups
- regathers
- re-collects
- scrapes (up or together)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dissipates
- disperses
- scatters
- dissolves
- dispels
- separates
- disintegrates
- sends
- splits (up)
- severs
- breaks up
- dismisses
- disbands
3
as in amasses
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass clouds accumulating on the western horizon Synonyms & Similar Words
- collects
- amasses
- gathers
- concentrates
- accretes
- drifts
- masses
- builds up
- conglomerates
- clumps
- piles (up)
- stacks (up)
- agglutinates
- lumps
- banks
- ridges
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dissipates
- disperses
- scatters