How to Use cumulative in a Sentence

cumulative

adjective
  • The union staff said the cumulative effects of the past year will linger.
    — oregonlive, 15 Apr. 2021
  • Teams keep track of their cumulative points throughout the evening.
    — Rick Mauch, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
  • That makes Coogler’s film an even stronger cumulative case.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Watched in a binge, even though episode-long lulls don't last long, and the cumulative jokes build nicely.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 July 2019
  • Don't think there isn't an art to it, though; the cumulative effect lodges in your chest, and stays there.
    — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2022
  • To win, a team had to solve the most problems in the fewest attempts and the least cumulative time.
    — Marco Santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, 20 Apr. 2018
  • The total cumulative change includes the change from both of those months.
    — Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2022
  • The thefts are part of a cumulative loss for Bishop.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
  • This isn't a cumulative list; our state is pretty awesome, so of course, there are many more.
    — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Oct. 2021
  • In total, the city has a cumulative wealth of more than $3 trillion.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
  • Each athlete will take three runs down the track and each run counts toward the racer’s cumulative time.
    — Dan Gartland, SI.com, 2 Feb. 2018
  • This is equivalent to the stock’s cumulative value over the past two weeks.
    — Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
  • And the blows, Straley said, were cumulative; the pain deepened with each new blow.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, miamiherald, 10 July 2018
  • That birdie dropped him to a cumulative 22-under par in the first two rounds of the last four majors.
    — Eddie Pells, The Denver Post, 15 June 2019
  • Here’s cumulative costs by year, in thousands of dollars.
    — Jeff Goertzen, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Why the faith in an unproven coach who led the team to a cumulative 14-22 record?
    — Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, 2 Feb. 2020
  • But the cumulative effect of this year’s news was to cast doubt on whether that project would be completed on time — or at all.
    — Casey Newton, The Verge, 26 Dec. 2018
  • The union said the Delta deal will lead to a cumulative $7 billion in pay raises.
    — Alexandra Skores, Dallas News, 11 May 2023
  • The problem is the cumulative weight of all of them sitting together in one role.
    — Bronwen Sciortino, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • The cumulative number of housing units the city wants to add borders on eye-popping.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2019
  • And, over time since the case's onset, the cumulative total of cases may be in the thousands.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 12 Aug. 2022
  • Much like a few other things the Royals need to count on in the cumulative long run that will define them.
    — Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The company also frames the device as cumulative rather than a one-shot fix.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
  • While crime is cyclical, gun supply is cumulative.
    — John J. Donohue, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The Heat wouldn’t be able to deduct half his salary — or the cumulative amount of his fines — from its luxury tax bill.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2025
  • The participant with the most cumulative points takes the pot.
    — Darnell Mayberry | , cleveland, 19 Aug. 2023
  • And even after five seasons — or because of those five cumulative seasons — that’s still easy to do.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
  • As of Tuesday, his cumulative time in space stood at 916 days.
    — William Harwood, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024
  • Among all acts, Garth Brooks leads with 171 cumulative weeks atop the chart.
    — Jim Asker, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2017
  • Wendell did note that the bill should ensure the 10% increase cumulative over the course of a year.
    — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cumulative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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