habituate

verb

ha·​bit·​u·​ate hə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwāt 

ha-, 

-chü-ˌāt

habituated; habituating

transitive verb

1

: to make used to something : accustom

2

: frequent sense 1

intransitive verb

1

: to cause habituation

2

: to undergo habituation

habituate to a stimulus

Synonyms of habituate

• haunt
• frequent
• visit

Examples of habituate in a Sentence

the sort of lounge lizard known to habituate bars and nightclubs

Recent Examples on the Web

Even Americans who have grown habituated to Trump’s excesses have been shaken by these killings and the reflexively cruel and dishonest response from the administration. —Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026

Many outfitters include outings with Onçafari, a Brazilian wildlife conservation organization initially created to help habituate jaguars to game vehicles. —Laura Kiniry, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026

Many of us have already been habituated to paying for everything with a tap; extending the practice to the fare feels natural and even inevitable. —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 31 Dec. 2025

The bison calf later had to be euthanized because it was habituated to humans. —Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for habituate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

habituate

verb

ha·​bit·​u·​ate hə-ˈbich-ə-ˌwāt 

ha-

habituated; habituating

: to make used to something

habituation

-ˌbich-ə-ˈwā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

habituate

verb

ha·​bit·​u·​ate hə-ˈbich-ə-ˌwāt, ha- 

habituated; habituating

transitive verb

: to cause habituation in

intransitive verb

1

: to cause habituation

marijuana may be habituating

2

: to undergo habituation

habituate to a stimulus