accustom

verb

ac·​cus·​tom ə-ˈkə-stəm How to pronounce accustom (audio)
accustomed; accustoming; accustoms

transitive verb

: to make familiar with something through use or experience
accustomation noun

Examples of accustom in a Sentence

the task of accustoming new recruits to shipboard life
Recent Examples on the Web Even in a country accustomed to frequent outages amid a deepening economic crisis, Friday’s supply collapse was unprecedented in modern times, aside from incidents involving intense hurricanes, like one in 2022. Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024 Unfortunately, the employees were accustomed to highly specialized roles, and lacked the necessary flexibility to tackle jobs outside their areas of expertise. Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 Between the lines: Health systems in Florida are accustomed to hurricanes and largely avoided heavy damage this time by hardening their facilities, said Mary Mayhew, CEO of the Florida Hospital Association. Tina Reed, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024 Milton spread destruction across Florida overnight, whipping up tornadoes in areas not accustomed to such ferocity and cutting power for more than 3.3 million energy customers. Sam Brock, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for accustom 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accustom.' 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

Middle English acustomen "to habituate (reflexive or intransitive)," borrowed from Anglo-French acustumer, acostumer, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + -customer, costomer, verbal derivative of custume custom entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of accustom was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near accustom

Cite this Entry

“Accustom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accustom. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

accustom

verb
ac·​cus·​tom ə-ˈkəs-təm How to pronounce accustom (audio)
: to make familiar

More from Merriam-Webster on accustom

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