以上单词均有聚积或集合的含义。accumulation主要指同类事物，如金钱、资本、收益等的逐渐积累，而非一下或突然的聚集，且此种积累多为无序或无组织关联[1 ]。collection常可与accumulation交替使用，但它所指的累积则常指一种有序或有组织的聚合[2]，如：An accumulation of many specimens is needed when one is preparing a scientific collection. 

Aggregation 常指具有 一定凝聚力的某种集合体，但其关联性却赶不上collection [3]， 如 An industrial empire is often an aggregation of unrelated enterprises。 conglomeration则常指许多不同来源或不同地区或甚至矛盾 的事物的集合体[4 ] ，如：A conglomeration of many different kinds of people from various countries and cultures.

 

[1 ] “ Increase by continuous or repeated additions, or, if taken literally，means either profit accruing on sale of principal assets，or increase derived from their investment, or both. " Cf. The Publisher's Editorial Staff, Black's Law Dictionary, abridged 6th edition, at p. 15, West Publishing Co. (1991).

[2 ] “ Collection and accumulation are often used interchangeably, but collection frequently implies a high degree of selection and organization in the mass collected. ” Cf. The Editors of the Reader’s Digest, Use the Right Word, at. p. 4, The Reader’s Digest Association Proprietary Ltd. (1971 ).

[3 ] “Aggregation always denotes a mass brought together that forms, in some sense, a coherent whole, but one that has a less degree of organization than does a collection. ” Id. at p. 4.

[4 ] “ Conglomeration implies that many different and sometimes even incongruous things are brought together fajm widely scattered sources or regions. ” Id. at p. 4.