accumulate
To gather more and more of something over time.
accumulate in a sentence
- Piles of snow began to accumulate on the roof until it looked like a giant white hill.
- Odd socks accumulate under Jamie's bed until there is a whole woolly mountain of them.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to accumulate?
- Ascatter
- Bdisperse
- Close
- Dgather
Show the answer
D: gather. The other three mean the opposite of accumulate.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to accumulate?
- Agather
- Bcollect
- Cscatter
Show the answer
C: scatter. The other three mean nearly the same as accumulate.
Words that mean something similar
gather, collect
Words that mean the opposite
scatter, lose, disperse
More words about size & amount
- ample: More than enough; plenty of room or plenty of something.
- approximate: Close to the right amount, but not exact.
- bountiful: Giving or containing a very large amount.
- cluster: A small group of things close together.
- colossal: Extremely large; absolutely huge.
- contract: To become smaller or shorter.
- cram: To squeeze too many things into a small space.
- cumbersome: Heavy and awkward to carry or use.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test