accommodate

verb

ac·​com·​mo·​date ə-ˈkä-mə-ˌdāt How to pronounce accommodate (audio)
accommodated; accommodating

transitive verb

1
: to provide with something desired, needed, or suited
I needed money, and they accommodated me with a loan.
2
a
: to make room for
rebuilt the ship to accommodate the bigger containers
b
: to hold without crowding or inconvenience
a hotel that can accommodate about 100 people
3
: to bring into agreement or concord : reconcile
Investors quickly accommodated themselves to the new market conditions.
4
: to give consideration to : to allow for
trying to accommodate the special interests of various groups
5
: to make fit, suitable, or congruous

intransitive verb

: to adapt oneself
also : to undergo visual accommodation
accommodative adjective
accommodativeness noun
accommodator noun

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Common Misspellings

accomadate, accomdate, accomidate, accomodate

Choose the Right Synonym for accommodate

adapt, adjust, accommodate, conform, reconcile mean to bring one thing into correspondence with another.

adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances.

adapted themselves to the warmer climate

adjust suggests bringing into a close and exact correspondence or harmony such as exists between parts of a mechanism.

adjusted the budget to allow for inflation

accommodate may suggest yielding or compromising to effect a correspondence.

businesses accommodating themselves to the new political reality

conform applies to bringing into accordance with a pattern, example, or principle.

refused to conform to society's values

reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible.

tried to reconcile what he said with what I knew

contain, hold, accommodate mean to have or be capable of having within.

contain implies the actual presence of a specified substance or quantity within something.

the can contains a quart of oil

hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping.

the bookcase will hold all my textbooks

accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience.

the hall can accommodate 500 people

Examples of accommodate in a Sentence

Although Lost World was the hottest movie around, we saw it in a chamber of almost laughable minuteness, barely large enough to accommodate nine rows of seats, which were grudgingly padded … Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999
… a farmhouse that has been redone to accommodate both good English antiques and luxe 20th-century comforts without sacrificing any of its rough-hewn charm. Francine Prose, Travel & Leisure, December 1994
The young-adult horror authors tend to be too busy accommodating MTV attention spans to create vivid personalities … Ken Tucker, New York Times Book Review, 14 Nov. 1993
… political authority depended on tribal leadership, and the scholars had to accommodate themselves to it. Ernest Gellner, Culture, Identity, and Politics, 1987
Over 600 people can be accommodated on the cruise ship. The ceilings were too low to accommodate his terrific height. They were kind enough to accommodate me with a ride to the train station. I asked them for additional money, and they accommodated me with a loan. He would often change his schedule to accommodate his clients. New facilities are being added to accommodate the special needs of elderly residents. Smart investors quickly accommodated to the new market conditions.
Recent Examples on the Web Scale up or down by grabbing more of each ingredient to accommodate your household, Coleman said. Karla Walsh, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 The convenient hand strap rotates 360 degrees and is adjustable, accommodating growing hands. Tanya Edwards, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 Kaiser Permanente expects to start offering the second dose of the 2023-24 COVID vaccine to seniors in mid-March, once its computer systems are updated to accommodate the latest recommendation. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The new material accommodated both optical parametric amplification and phase modulation within a single cavity. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024 Many stand mixers include bowls that are 4 to 5 quarts to accommodate a variety of recipes, but others may have even larger bowls that will take up more room on your countertop. Laura Denby, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2024 Now, some compression shorts also can accommodate a cup, and help with chafing. Leanne Italie, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says this type of interchange dramatically reduces vehicle collisions, accommodates more traffic, and better meets the needs of large trucks, pedestrians and cyclists. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 Keep plans flexible to accommodate further surprises. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin accommodātus, past participle of accommodāre "to fit on, apply, make agree, make suitable, adapt," from ad- ad- + commodāre "to lend, hire, put at the disposal (of), provide," derivative of commodus "convenient, suitable" — more at commode

Note: In part a latinization of Middle French accommoder; John Palsgrave (Lʼéclaircissement de la langue française, 1530) renders accommodate with accommoder.

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5

Time Traveler
The first known use of accommodate was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near accommodate

Cite this Entry

“Accommodate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accommodate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

accommodate

verb
ac·​com·​mo·​date ə-ˈkäm-ə-ˌdāt How to pronounce accommodate (audio)
accommodated; accommodating
1
: adapt
2
: to bring into agreement
accommodate the differences
3
: to do a favor for : oblige sense 2b
accommodated me with a ride
4
: to provide with something desired: as
a
: to provide with lodgings
b
: to make or have room for
the table accommodates 12 comfortably
5
: to undergo visual accommodation
the lens of the eye accommodates
accommodative adjective
accommodativeness noun

Medical Definition

accommodate

intransitive verb
ac·​com·​mo·​date ə-ˈkäm-ə-ˌdāt How to pronounce accommodate (audio)
accommodated; accommodating
: to adapt oneself
also : to undergo visual accommodation
accommodative adjective

Legal Definition

accommodate

transitive verb
ac·​com·​mo·​date ə-ˈkä-mə-ˌdāt How to pronounce accommodate (audio)
accommodated; accommodating
1
: to make a change or provision for
accommodate a disability
see also reasonable accommodation
2
: to accept without compensation responsibility for a debt of (another person) in the event of nonpayment as a way of reassuring a reluctant creditor see also accommodation paper at paper, accommodation party at party sense 1a

Note: To accommodate a debtor effectively, the party must sign the debt instrument, adding words describing limitations or conditions to the accommodation, if any.

accommodation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on accommodate

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