ac ‧ cu ‧ mu ‧ late AC /əˈkjuːmjəleɪt, əˈkjuːmjʊleɪt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ accumulate ; noun : ↑ accumulation ; adverb : ↑ accumulatively ; adjective : ↑ accumulative ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of accumulare , from ad- 'to' + cumulare 'to pile up' ]
1 . [transitive] to gradually get more and more money, possessions, knowledge etc over a period of time:
It is unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate wealth.
2 . [intransitive] to gradually increase in numbers or amount until there is a large quantity in one place:
Fat tends to accumulate around the hips and thighs.
—accumulation /əˌkjuːmjəˈleɪʃ ə n, əˌkjuːmjʊˈleɪʃ ə n/ noun [uncountable and countable] :
the accumulation of data
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REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say build up rather than accumulate :
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These chemicals tend to build up in the soil.
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THESAURUS
▪ collect to get things of the same type from different places and bring them together:
She collects stamps (=as a hobby) .
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They have collected 650 signatures for their petition.
▪ gather to collect information from different places, or to collect crops, flowers, wood etc, especially from the ground:
Computers make it easier to gather information.
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The men gathered firewood.
▪ assemble formal to collect something such as information in an organized way:
When all the evidence is assembled, we will write our report.
▪ build up to gradually collect more things of the same type over time:
He has built up one of the country’s finest collections of art.
▪ accumulate to gradually get more and more of something such as money, possessions, or knowledge, over time. Accumulate is more formal than build up :
He is driven by the desire to accumulate wealth.
▪ amass to collect a large amount of something such as money, information, or knowledge, over time:
Carnegie amassed a fortune in the steel industry.
▪ run up a bill/debt/loss informal to allow a debt to increase quickly, especially by spending too much:
He ran up huge gambling debts.