as in to accumulate
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass
silt accreting at the mouth of the river over time
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Recent Examples of accrete
Instruments drift in and out, sometimes accreting into subtle polyrhythms or harmonies, and other times lightly undergirding Ederra’s gorgeous runs.
—
Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
For the first few billion years of cosmic history, galaxies formed and grew by accreting more and more material from the intergalactic medium, as well as by merging together to form larger, more mature galaxies.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile ice can accrete on both the top and underside of branches and power lines.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2026
X-ray data revealed that the black hole is accreting material at roughly 13 times the Eddington limit, placing it among the fastest-growing black holes known at this mass scale.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accrete
Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
For the first few billion years of cosmic history, galaxies formed and grew by accreting more and more material from the intergalactic medium, as well as by merging together to form larger, more mature galaxies.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile ice can accrete on both the top and underside of branches and power lines.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2026
X-ray data revealed that the black hole is accreting material at roughly 13 times the Eddington limit, placing it among the fastest-growing black holes known at this mass scale.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accrete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accrete
accumulate
Verb
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Instruments and voices accumulate into immense, sustained, saturating dissonances, with a snare drum cutting through the tear-gas haze.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Rainwater tends to accumulate at the road edges.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accrete. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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