acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈa-klə-ˌmāt 

ə-ˈklī-mət,

-ˌmāt 

acclimated; acclimating

transitive verb

: to adapt (someone) to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation

They had to acclimate themselves to an urban lifestyle.

slowly becoming acclimated to a new environment

intransitive verb

: to adjust or adapt to a new temperature, climate, environment, or situation : to become acclimated

climbers gradually acclimating to the high altitude

Synonyms

• acclimatize
• accommodate
• adapt
• adjust
• condition
• conform
• doctor
• edit
• fashion
• fit
• put
• shape
• suit
• tailor

Examples of acclimate in a Sentence

I acclimated myself to the hot weather.

You might need to acclimate your plants to bright sunlight gradually.

We took a few days to get acclimated to our new teacher.

Recent Examples on the Web

From there, the fish would spend a few days acclimating in a pool built into the river, then begin their 650-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

How to Use Practice Tests Effectively Simulate Exam Conditions: Take practice tests under conditions similar to the actual exam to acclimate yourself to the pressure and pacing of test day and CPA exam scoring. —Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024

While Ohtani has had six seasons to acclimate to life in the United States, Yamamoto is making those adjustments for the first time. —Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2024

Like Disneyland’s Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Bowser’s Challenge takes a moment to get acclimated to. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024

There’s 17-year-old Abby, an aspiring storyboard artist acclimating to a new feeding tube after missing much of their senior year in high school because of medical issues. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024

The zoo's elephant care team is currently acclimating the two to the transportation process through positive conditioning, which will likely be a lengthy process. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Mar. 2024

Besides a diving stab that came up just short and a strikeout looking, Chapman’s first game of the spring was just about getting acclimated. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

And, according to a new study, the large, vibrant spiders are acclimating astonishingly well to cities. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French acclimater, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + climat "climate" (going back to Old French) — more at climate

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈak-lə-ˌmāt  ə-ˈklī-mət 

-ˌmāt

acclimated; acclimating

: to adapt to a new climate, environment, or situation

acclimation

ˌak-lə-ˈmā-shən

ˌak-ˌlī-

noun

Medical Definition

acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈak-lə-ˌmāt; ə-ˈklī-mət  -ˌmāt 

acclimated; acclimating

: acclimatize