accrete

American  

[uh-kreet] / əˈkrit /

verb (used without object)

accreted, accreting

1. to grow together; adhere (usually followed by to ).

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verb (used with object)

accreted, accreting

1. to add, as by growth.

adjective

1. Botany. grown together.

accrete British  

/ əˈkriːt /

verb

1. to grow or cause to grow together; be or become fused

2. to make or become bigger, as by addition

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Etymology

Origin of accrete

First recorded in 1775–85; back formation from accretion

Example Sentences

Once it’s there, minerals begin to accrete around this core.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2024

Through the telescope, researchers were able to see signals from large amounts of gas that accumulate and accrete onto a mini-galaxy in the process of being built.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2024

“Essentially what will happen is that there’s an about 10-Jupiter-mass object that will form, and then that will accrete very rapidly,” Abel says.

From National Geographic • Sep. 14, 2023

"Rings that are formed outside Roche limits aren't meant to be stable; they should rapidly accrete into moonlets, using up all the ring material," Dhillon said.

From Scientific American • Feb. 11, 2023

The lumps accrete dust particles as they move.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan