accustom

American  

[uh-kuhs-tuhm] / əˈkʌs təm /

verb (used with object)

accustoms, present (3rd person singular) accustomed, past participle, past accustoming present participle

1. to familiarize by custom or use; habituate.

   to accustom oneself to cold weather.

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accustom British  

/ əˈkʌstəm /

verb

1. to make (oneself) familiar (with) or used (to), as by practice, habit, or experience

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preaccustom
  verb (used with object)
• reaccustom
  verb (used with object)
• unaccustom
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• accustoming
  present
• accustomed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• accustom
  simple
• accustoms
  simple
• have accustomed
  perfect
• has accustomed
  perfect
• am accustoming
  progressive
• are accustoming
  progressive
• is accustoming
  progressive
• have been accustoming
  perfect progressive
• has been accustoming
  perfect progressive

Past

• accustomed
  simple
• had accustomed
  perfect
• was accustoming
  progressive
• were accustoming
  progressive
• had been accustoming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will accustom
  simple
• will have accustomed
  perfect
• will be accustoming
  progressive
• will have been accustoming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of accustom

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Middle French word acoustumer. See ac-, custom

Explanation

The verb accustom means to become used to or familiar with something; to make something a habit. If there is a new baby in your family, you will most likely become accustomed to changing diapers. Although the verb accustom looks like it should be related to the word custom, it actually comes through costume, through the Old French acostumer, with à, meaning "to," and costume, meaning "fashion or habit." Now it retains the meaning to make something a habit. You can accustom yourself to loud sirens if you live in a city or to the sound of crickets if you live in the country. Parents often cannot become accustomed to the musical taste of their kids.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accustom accustoms accustomed accustoming

Trent, the former customer the Roosevelt Bartell, ended up at the Rite Aid in Wedgwood, where she said she’s had to accustom herself to long waits.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023

Several mahouts went to Sri Lanka in advance to accustom the animal to being caged so he wouldn’t panic during the trip to Thailand.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 2, 2023

You can accustom yourself to believing things without support or believing things without empirical validation or believing by simply brushing aside questions.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2021

If you want her to spend time outside, you can try to accustom her to a harness and see if you can train her to walk on a leash.

From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2021

You have to accustom yourself to thinking that way.

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

Chief among these techniques is "systematic desensitization," the process a mother uses when she accustoms a baby to the ocean by dipping in one foot first, then a leg, then the infant's whole body.

From Time Magazine Archive

Though it is repetitious and - I am afraid to say - increasingly annoying to listen to, this technique soon accustoms our ears to expect equal weight in a tune’s two halves.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Time, philosophy tells us, accustoms man to almost anything.

From The Hickory Limb by O'Neill, Rose Cecil

In this way the hand accustoms itself, not only to perform the general action, but also to confine the movement within all kinds of limits.

From Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook by Montessori, Maria

At first he feels giddy, but in time accustoms himself to put on a grave air.

From La Sorcière: The Witch of the Middle Ages by Michelet, Jules

At the Stormy Cup cafe, staff had become accustomed to serving cast and crew members in recent years, but now they are catering for more tourists.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Already accustomed to extreme environments, they are quick to adapt to the wind farm's conditions.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

The researchers also noted that the chimpanzees in this study are accustomed to living around humans and regularly encounter objects that do not exist in the wild.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Buyers also had grown accustomed to buying Iranian oil at a discount when sanctions were in effect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Abby would fall asleep in a place she was accustomed to.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Bacon said he and the fellow star had no qualms accustoming to their new routine while quarantining amid the coronavirus pandemic.

From Fox News ● Jan. 10, 2022

“These reviews also had a good effect in accustoming the troops to see me, although they saw so much of me in their camps and on the picket-lines that this was of minor importance.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2017

Asimov viewed part of the task of science fiction as accustoming readers to the idea of change, to the knowledge that “things will be different,” and so to help them plan for change with wisdom.

From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2013

With the speedy Wall leading the way, the Wizards plan to use more of a running, uptempo style than Porter was accustoming to playing the past two seasons at Georgetown.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2013

Eye soon accustoming itself to the size of objects thereby diminishing their bulk to its own previous conceptions.

From The Legendary and Poetical Remains of John Roby author of 'Traditions of Lancashire', with a sketch of his literary life and character by Roby, John

Related Words

• acquaint
• adapt