accumulate

[uh-kyoo-myuh-leyt] / əˈkyu myəˌleɪt /

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.

The chemicals, known as PFAS, don’t break down in the environment and accumulate in the body, potentially causing health problems such as cancer and infertility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“That price growth has helped the typical homeowner accumulate $128,100 in housing wealth over the past six years.”

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

In people with Alzheimer's, amyloid-beta proteins accumulate and form clusters that disrupt communication between brain cells.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

A previous attempt to run for President in 2020 saw the rapper accumulate just 60,000 votes out of an estimated total of 160 million.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Some scholars imagine ancient hunter-gatherer societies as peaceful paradises, and argue that war and violence began only with the Agricultural Revolution, when people started to accumulate private property.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Vocabulary lists containing accumulate

List 2

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