accommodation

American  

[uh-kom-uh-day-shuhn] / əˌkɒm əˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

• accommodations
  plural

1. the act of accommodating; state or process of being accommodated; adaptation.

2. adjustment of differences; reconciliation.

3. Sociology. a process of mutual adaptation between persons or groups, usually achieved by eliminating or reducing hostility, as by compromise or arbitration.

4. anything that supplies a need, want, favor, convenience, etc.

5. Usually accommodations.

   1. lodging.

   2. food and lodging.

   3. a seat, berth, or other facilities for a passenger on a train, plane, etc.

6. readiness to aid or please others; obligingness.

7. a loan.

8. Ophthalmology. the automatic adjustment by which the eye adapts itself to distinct vision at different distances.

9. accommodation bill.

---

accommodation British  

/ əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. lodging or board and lodging

2. adjustment, as of differences or to new circumstances; adaptation, settlement, or reconciliation

3. something fulfilling a need, want, etc; convenience or facility

4. physiol the automatic or voluntary adjustment of the shape of the lens of the eye for far or near vision

5. willingness to help or oblige

6. commerce a loan, usually made as an act of favour by a bank before formal credit arrangements are agreed

---

accommodation Scientific  

/ ə-kŏm′ə-dā′shən /

1. The adjustment in the focal length of the lens of the eye. Accommodation permits images at different distances to be focused on the retina.

---

Usage

What does accommodation mean? Accommodation is commonly used in the plural form (accommodations) to refer to lodging—a place to stay, usually temporarily, as in hotel accommodations. Sometimes, accommodations means both food and lodging, as in This resort is all-inclusive, so all of our accommodations are included in the cost. In the context of transportation, accommodations refers to one’s seat on a vehicle, such as an airplane or train, or one’s lodging on a train or ship that has rooms (cabins) for sleeping. More generally, accommodation means the act of accommodating. The verb accommodate has several meanings. To accommodate someone is to do them a favor or meet their needs or wants in some way. For example: Your constant accommodation of people doesn’t leave any time for yourself. To accommodate a request is to honor it—to do what has been asked. For example: Your accommodation of my special requests has been very kind. 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. For example: Unfortunately, the accommodation of that many people is not possible at this hotel. Example: What were the accommodations like at your hotel? Did your room have a nice view?

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonaccommodation
  noun
• preaccommodation
  noun
• accommodational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accommodations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of accommodation

1595–1605; < Latin accommodātiōn- (stem of accommodātiō ) adjustment. See accommodate, -ion

Explanation

Accommodation is all about making room — it can mean a room or place where you will stay or an agreement about sharing something. If the only accommodation at Grandma's is the bunk bed and you and your sis decide to take turns on the top, you've made an accommodation regarding your accommodations. When you are accommodating someone, you are making room for them or special circumstances for them. For example, the student with the broken hand was granted the accommodation of having a scribe write his answers for the test. Always remember that accommodation is an accommodating word — there's room inside for two m's and two c's.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accommodation accommodations

He crossed the Channel again in April 2025 and was housed in a hotel in Basingstoke for three days, before being told he was not eligible for accommodation due to his outstanding asylum application.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Therefore, the widely shared view was to remove a “dose” of that accommodation.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026

The Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which close later Sunday, have been dogged by organisational issues over accommodation and transport.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

She moved into Orchard Cottage with the Butcher family, among a number of Elham residents who offered accommodation to visitors before the war, according to local accounts.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

But in the mess hall that evening it was clear that an accommodation had been reached.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Kingdom, the administration has asked the court, on the emergency docket, to lift an injunction currently preventing it from implementing policies that seek to deprive trans prisoners of much-needed healthcare and social accommodations.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

If you must go, he suggested looking for ways to reduce the cost, such as sharing accommodations, or even temporarily taking on additional work rather than putting the expense on a high-interest credit card.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

The well-appointed accommodations included double-occupancy cabins; two long, windowed promenades; a dining room, bar and smoking lounge; a dedicated writing room; toilets and a shower.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Adults build little accommodations for themselves all day long; we put the pills beside the toothbrush, buy the pre-cut fruit, turn on a podcast to make folding laundry bearable.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

I asked about housing accommodations and the New York John Reed Club members, all white members of the Communist party, looked embarrassed.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• compromise
• reconciliation