Definitions

accumulate

[uh-kyoo-myuh-leyt] / əˈkju mjəˌleɪt /

VERB

gather or amass something

Synonyms

STRONGEST

accrue acquire add to assemble collect compile concentrate expand gain grow hoard increase pile up rack up swell

STRONG

agglomerate aggregate amalgamate cache collocate cumulate gather heap incorporate lump mass pile procure profit stockpile store unite

WEAK

bring together clean up draw together heap together load up make a bundle make a killing roll up round up scare up stack up store up

Antonyms

STRONGEST

contract decrease diminish disperse divide forfeit lessen lose scatter separate shrink spend waste

WEAK

dissipate dwindle squander

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Phillips said the "build up of repetitive lower-level hits over the course of somebody's career accumulate".

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

Because of how interest costs accumulate, even a fraction of a percent of extra interest adds up over 30 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

If you take Social Security at 62 and invest the payments, he could accumulate more than $100,000 by 67, assuming a healthy 10% annual investment return.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

Long terminal repeat retrotransposons accumulate in characteristic patterns within specific evolutionary lineages, preserving molecular evidence of past events.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026

Carrots absorb more insecticide than any other crop studied; if the chemical used happens to be lindane, carrots actually accumulate higher concentrations than are present in the soil.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Vocabulary lists containing accumulate

List 2

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Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

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"Of Mice and Men"

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