accommodate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to do a kindness or a favor to; oblige.
to accommodate a friend by helping him move to a new apartment.
- Antonyms:
- inconvenience
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to provide suitably; supply (usually followed bywith ).
The officials were accommodated with seats toward the front of the room.
-
to lend money to.
Can you accommodate him, or are you short of cash?
-
to provide with a room and sometimes with food.
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to furnish with accommodations, as food and lodgings.
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to have or make room for.
Will this elevator accommodate 10 people?
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to make suitable or consistent; adapt.
to accommodate oneself to circumstances.
-
to bring into harmony or make adjustments or allowances for.
to accommodate differences;
to accommodate your busy schedule.
verb (used without object)
-
to become adjusted or adapted.
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to become reconciled; agree.
verb
-
(tr) to supply or provide, esp with lodging or board and lodging
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(tr) to oblige or do a favour for
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to adjust or become adjusted; adapt
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(tr) to bring into harmony; reconcile
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(tr) to allow room for; contain
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(tr) to lend money to, esp on a temporary basis until a formal loan has been arranged
Usage
What does accommodate mean? To accommodate someone is to do them a favor or meet their needs or wants in some way, as in You don’t have to accommodate everyone all the time—sometimes the answer should be no. To accommodate a request is to honor it—to do what has been asked, as in They were kind enough to accommodate my special requests. The adjective accommodating means eager or willing to help or please in this way. Accommodate can also mean to make or have room for, as in This bus can accommodate up to 50 passengers. Similarly, accommodate can mean to provide someone with a place to stay, as in Unfortunately the hotel was not able to accommodate us—all the rooms were reserved. The related term accommodation is often used in this context, especially in relation to hotels rooms or other temporary lodging. In this case, it is often used in the plural, as in What are the accommodations like?Accommodation is also commonly used in a general way referring to the act of accommodating. This can be used in any of the senses of the word. Example: We’ve extended our hours to better accommodate our customers.
Related Words
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accommodate
First recorded in 1515–25; from Latin accommodātus “adjusted,” past participle of accommodāre “to adjust,” from ac- ac- + commod(us) “convenient, fitting, suitable” ( see com-, mode)
Explanation
If you accommodate, you are making an adjustment to suit a particular purpose. If you accommodate your brother's demand for the attic room, then you give in and let him take over that space. Accommodate entered English in the mid-16th century from the Latin word accommodat-, meaning "made fitting." Whether it refers to changing something to suit someone's wishes or providing someone with something he needs, accommodate typically involves making something fit. You might change your lunch plans, for example, to accommodate your best friend's schedule. Accommodate can also refer to providing housing or having enough space for something. You might need to open up the extra bedroom to accommodate your out-of-town guests.
Vocabulary lists containing accommodate
The Call of the Wild
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Wonder
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The Breadwinner
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Italy has already struck a deal with Albania to accommodate rejected migrants there.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The Board of Trade could also open the door to reductions on tariffs to accommodate Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, but Miller cautions investors to not read too much into any adjustments.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
But there was always the promise—and certainly the hope—that the reconfigured Castro could still accommodate screenings by installing temporary raked seating in the orchestra section to replace the tables.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
Porter has argued that voters are looking for someone willing to challenge powerful interests rather than accommodate them.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
There Ernest installed the new magnet, its pole faces specially milled to accommodate a new vacuum tank twenty-seven inches in diameter.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
