accumulate

/əˈkjuːmjəleɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈkjuːmjəleɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈkyü-m(y)ə-ˌlāt/ (ame, mw)

accumulate — verb

1. to slowly bring together a growing supply of money, objects, or knowledge throug

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to slowly bring together a growing supply of money, objects, or knowledge through repeated effort across many months or years.

例句

Over twenty years, Mr. Chen accumulated a huge collection of old comic books.

accumulate + concrete object across long timespan

Aiko accumulated enough savings to buy a small apartment near the river.

accumulate + savings/wealth

同義詞
  • amass

    more formal; usually a very large quantity, especially money or power

  • build up

    everyday phrasal verb; common in speech where 'accumulate' would feel stiff

  • collect

    neutral; can be deliberate or one-off, lacks the slow-over-time meaning

  • stockpile

    implies storing supplies in advance, often for emergencies

反義詞
  • deplete

    use up a stored resource until little remains

  • disperse

    scatter or spread something previously gathered

文法句型

accumulate + noun (object)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person, organisation, or institution that takes deliberate action. The object is something gathered slowly, not in one event — collections, savings, points, knowledge, debt. Distinguish from sense 2: this transitive sense names an agent doing the gathering; sense 2 has no agent — the thing simply piles up by itself.

常見錯誤

❌I accumulated a new phone yesterday.
✅I bought a new phone yesterday.
💡'accumulate' needs many items collected slowly, not a single purchase.

2. of an amount, level, or material: to grow larger little by little, often without

2.動詞不及物C2
釋義

of an amount, level, or material: to grow larger little by little, often without anyone making it happen on purpose.

例句

Dust accumulates quickly on the bookshelves in Grandma's spare room.

intransitive: [substance] accumulates + on [surface]

Snow accumulated on the roof of the cabin throughout the long January night.

passage of time + place adverbial

同義詞
  • build up

    everyday equivalent; safer choice in casual speech

  • pile up

    stronger image of physical heaping; works for snow, laundry, bills

  • mount

    often used for tension, pressure, evidence; literary tone

  • collect

    informal for liquids or small bits gathering in one place (rainwater collected in the bucket)

反義詞
  • dissipate

    spread out and disappear, especially of heat, fog, or tension

  • diminish

    become smaller bit by bit — opposite trajectory

文法句型

[thing] + accumulate(s)

用法筆記

No direct object — the thing that grows is the subject. Frequently paired with a place phrase ('on the roof', 'in the pipes') or a time phrase ('over the winter', 'since Monday'). Common subjects: dust, snow, water, interest, debt, evidence, tension, fat. Distinguish from sense 1: here nobody is gathering anything; the build-up happens through natural processes or simple time.

常見錯誤

❌The rain accumulated the leaves on the lawn.
✅Leaves accumulated on the lawn after the rain.
💡sense 2 cannot take an object; the leaves are the subject doing the accumulating.