accommodate

American  

[uh-kom-uh-deyt] / əˈkɒm əˌdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• accommodates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accommodated,
  past participle,  past
• accommodating
  present participle

1. to do a kindness or a favor to; oblige.

   to accommodate a friend by helping him move to a new apartment.

   Synonyms:

   abet, help, assist, aid, serve

   Antonyms:

   inconvenience

2. to provide suitably; supply (usually followed bywith ).

   The officials were accommodated with seats toward the front of the room.

3. to lend money to.

   Can you accommodate him, or are you short of cash?

4. to provide with a room and sometimes with food.

5. to furnish with accommodations, as food and lodgings.

6. to have or make room for.

   Will this elevator accommodate 10 people?

7. to make suitable or consistent; adapt.

   to accommodate oneself to circumstances.

   Synonyms:

   suit, fit

8. to bring into harmony or make adjustments or allowances for.

   to accommodate differences;

   to accommodate your busy schedule.

   Synonyms:

   harmonize, compose

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verb (used without object)

• accommodates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accommodated,
  past participle,  past
• accommodating
  present participle

1. to become adjusted or adapted.

2. to become reconciled; agree.

accommodate British  

/ əˈkɒməˌdeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to supply or provide, esp with lodging or board and lodging

2. (tr) to oblige or do a favour for

3. to adjust or become adjusted; adapt

4. (tr) to bring into harmony; reconcile

5. (tr) to allow room for; contain

6. (tr) to lend money to, esp on a temporary basis until a formal loan has been arranged

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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.​

Synonym Usage

See oblige. See contain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reaccommodate
  verb
• preaccommodate
  verb (used with object)
• accommodable
  adjective
• accommodative
  adjective
• nonaccommodable
  adjective
• unaccommodable
  adjective
• underaccommodated
  adjective
• well-accommodated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• accommodating
  present
• accommodated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• accommodate
  simple
• accommodates
  simple
• have accommodated
  perfect
• has accommodated
  perfect
• am accommodating
  progressive
• are accommodating
  progressive
• is accommodating
  progressive
• have been accommodating
  perfect progressive
• has been accommodating
  perfect progressive

Past

• accommodated
  simple
• had accommodated
  perfect
• was accommodating
  progressive
• were accommodating
  progressive
• had been accommodating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will accommodate
  simple
• will have accommodated
  perfect
• will be accommodating
  progressive
• will have been accommodating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accommodate accommodates accommodated accommodating

We’re still early in the season but we found this week that two of the nation’s biggest retailers, Walmart and Target, are racing to accommodate them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Even though there are 12 of us walk-ins, the hostess immediately pushes several tables together to accommodate the group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

TUI expects demand to remain resilient, but increasingly shift toward destinations with room to accommodate more tourists, Ebel said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In 2026 there have been multiple hits to production worldwide and to accommodate for this, Price adjusts his global mine supply forecast by 3.5% every year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

More and more buildings are needed to accommodate them, so the city is expanding into the countryside.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

She said the company makes it easy to modify reservations, and that it accommodates various luggage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

A rules-based framework accommodates a productivity boom automatically.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

Its legal framework already accommodates this approach by distinguishing between several types of property, including small homes, large apartment buildings, and commercial property.

From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026

“The Pitt” ably accommodates the couch-bound walking wounded.

From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026

He calls her Laurette; he eats a roasted duck every day at 3 P.M.; his mind accommodates a seemingly inexhaustible catalog of Latin binomial names.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Iran responded by firing drones and ballistic missiles at Bahrain and Kuwait, which host U.S. bases and have accommodated the U.S. military throughout the war, according to a senior U.S. official.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

They have accommodated me with a hotel, but I don’t have access to basic amenities like laundry or a kitchen, and it’s been a significant amount of time.

From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026

“I had another destiny, but life accommodated itself to place me in this valuable situation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

The airline said "a limited number" of adjustments have been made, adding that the "vast majority of customers" are being accommodated on same-day services.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

Ten people sat in a room which would have accommodated a few dozen, but Fuller showed no signs of disappointment with the low turnout.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Muenster is less assertive but more accommodating: its mild butteriness stands beside the sauce without competing, and it softens agreeably in summer warmth without becoming stringy or oily.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

This place has an odd, accommodating kinship with these prehistoric monsters, a willingness to coexist rather than eliminate what would kill us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

"This calls for a cautious approach to new fiscal pressures: the authorities should be very selective in accommodating new demands and reprioritise, while sticking to the deficit reduction plan," the report says.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

He wants employers to be more accommodating to caregivers because he knows employees need flexibility, like the ability to work from home, in order to advance in their careers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Even his sisters, the most tolerant and accommodating of all the women he knew, had changed their faces and rimmed their eyes with red and charcoal dust.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• contain
• entertain
• hold
• rent
• shelter
• take in
• welcome