accommodate
gb/əkˈɑmədˌeɪt/ us/əkˈɑmədˌeɪt/
B2
English
~ 8100
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
provide lodging or overnight stay
to give someone a place to stay or sleep, for a short time
Usage pattern:
to accommodate [people/guests]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "accommodate" with "accompany". "Accommodate" is about giving space or fitting someone in, while "accompany" means to go with someone.
Synonyms
house (more common for longer-term or permanent living, but also used for temporary stays)
|
lodge (often used for providing temporary rooms, slightly more formal or travel-related)
Antonyms
turn away (focuses on refusing to let someone stay or enter)
Collocations
accommodate guests
|accommodate up to [number] people
|hotel can accommodate
|accommodate visitors
|accommodate overnight
Themes
travel
|daily life
|housing
Examples
- The hotel can accommodate 300 guests during peak season.
- We don’t have enough beds to accommodate everyone for the night.
- The hostel accommodates backpackers from all over the world.
- The conference center can accommodate delegates in its on-site rooms.
- They built extra cabins to accommodate more visitors in the summer.
Learner examples
- This hotel can accommodate 200 people.
- My friend can accommodate me for one night.
- The school can accommodate all the new students.
- The small house cannot accommodate a big family.
- The guest room can accommodate two visitors.
Verb
B2
state
2
have enough space or capacity
to be big enough for a number of people or things
Usage pattern:
to accommodate [number/people/things]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "contain" or "include" when they mean physical space, e.g. *"The room includes 50 people"*. It is more natural to say "The room can accommodate 50 people" or "The room holds 50 people."
Synonyms
hold (more general and slightly simpler; does not suggest planning or design)
|
fit (more informal and physical; often used for size alone)
Antonyms
overflow (describes what happens when something cannot be accommodated because there is not enough space)
Collocations
accommodate up to [number]
|accommodate more people
|room can accommodate
|vehicle can accommodate
|designed to accommodate
Themes
transport
|buildings
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This stadium can accommodate 50,000 spectators.
- The parking lot can only accommodate thirty cars.
- The meeting room will not accommodate such a large audience.
- The new shelves are designed to accommodate all the files.
- The elevator can accommodate up to twelve passengers at a time.
Learner examples
- The bus can accommodate forty people.
- This box can accommodate many books.
- The hall cannot accommodate everyone.
- The small car can accommodate only four people.
- The closet can accommodate all my clothes.
Verb
B2
action
3
meet or adjust to needs or wishes
to change your plans or system so that another person’s needs, wishes, or situation are met
Usage pattern:
to accommodate [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"adapt someone"* when they mean to meet someone’s needs. In this sense, English usually uses "accommodate someone" or "accommodate someone’s needs", not "adapt someone".
Synonyms
adapt (focuses more on the change itself than on the person whose needs are being met)
|
oblige (more formal; emphasizes doing a favor or helping someone out)
Antonyms
inconvenience (means to cause difficulty instead of making things easier for someone)
Collocations
accommodate the needs of
|accommodate requests
|accommodate different levels
|accommodate changes
|accommodate disabilities
|accommodate cultural differences
Themes
work
|education
|society
|relationships
|business
Examples
- The schedule was adjusted to accommodate employees with young children.
- The new policy does not adequately accommodate people with disabilities.
- Online classes can accommodate students who work full time.
- We will do our best to accommodate your preferences.
- The design was changed to accommodate feedback from users.
Learner examples
- The teacher tries to accommodate all students.
- We changed the time to accommodate her.
- The company will accommodate workers with health problems.
- The program was updated to accommodate new users.
- They made a plan to accommodate everyone’s needs.
Verb
C1
action
4
adapt or adjust oneself
to change yourself or the way you act so you can live or work well in new conditions
Usage pattern:
to accommodate [oneself] to [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often choose a different preposition, saying *"accommodate with"* or *"accommodate in"* when they mean to adapt. In this sense, the usual pattern is "accommodate to" something.
Synonyms
adjust (slightly more common and informal; very close in meaning here)
|
adapt (very close in meaning; widespread in everyday use)
Antonyms
resist (emphasizes refusing to change or accept new conditions)
Collocations
accommodate to change
|accommodate to a new environment
|accommodate to different cultures
|accommodate oneself to
|slowly accommodate to
Themes
psychology
|work
|society
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- New employees often need time to accommodate to the company’s culture.
- The organization has struggled to accommodate to rapid technological change.
- She quickly accommodated to life in a foreign country.
- Our bodies gradually accommodate to colder temperatures.
- The team has had to accommodate to a more flexible way of working.
Learner examples
- It took him a year to accommodate to city life.
- Children usually accommodate to a new school quite fast.
- I am still trying to accommodate to my new job.
- The company must accommodate to the new market.
- She slowly accommodated to living alone.
Verb
technical
C1
action
5
eye adjust focus for distance
when the eye changes focus so that you can see things clearly at another distance
Usage pattern:
to accommodate [to a distance]
Common mistake:
Because this is a technical, medical use, learners sometimes mistake it for the general meaning of "adapt" in everyday life. In eye-care contexts, "accommodate" refers specifically to changing focus.
Synonyms
focus (everyday term for making an image sharp; less technical than "accommodate" in this context)
Antonyms
lose focus (describes the eye’s failure to keep an image sharp)
Collocations
eye accommodates
|accommodate for near vision
|accommodate for distance
|failure to accommodate
|ability to accommodate
Themes
science
|medicine
|health
|body
Examples
- As we age, the eye loses some of its ability to accommodate for near objects.
- The ciliary muscles help the lens accommodate when you shift your gaze from far to near.
- In this condition, the eyes do not accommodate properly, causing blurred vision.
- The child’s eyes accommodate quickly when looking between the board and the notebook.
- The test measures how well the eyes can accommodate over a short period.
Learner examples
- The eye must accommodate to see things close to you.
- Older people may have eyes that cannot accommodate well.
- The doctor checked how my eyes accommodate to different distances.
- When your eyes accommodate, the image becomes clear.
- If your eyes cannot accommodate, you may need glasses.
Grammar
Dictionary form
accommodate
IPA
GB/əkˈɑmədˌeɪt/
US/əkˈɑmədˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
ac - com - mod - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (com)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: accommodate
- 3rd Person Singular: accommodates
- Present Participle: accommodating
- Past: accommodated
Word family
Forms
accommodates
verb
accommodating
verb
accommodated
verb
Core family
accommodation
noun A2
Negative and opposite forms
unaccommodating
adjective
Advanced or less common
accommodatingly
adverb
accommodative
adjective
Expressions
accommodate the needs of
1/əkˈɑmədˌeɪt ðə nˈidz əv/
fixed phrase
provide or adjust for needs
to give a person or group what they need, often by changing rules, plans, or systems for them
Examples
- The program was redesigned to better accommodate the needs of rural students.
- Public spaces must accommodate the needs of people with disabilities.
accommodate yourself to
1/əkˈɑmədˌeɪt jʊɹsˈɛlf tə/
fixed phrase
adapt yourself to something
to change the way you think or act so you can live or work well in a new situation
Examples
- You will have to accommodate yourself to a slower pace of life here.
- Immigrants often need to accommodate themselves to different social norms.
do one's best to accommodate
1/dˈu wˈʌnz bˈɛst tə əkˈɑmədˌeɪt/
fixed phrase
try as hard as possible to help
to try very hard to meet another person’s needs or wishes, even if it is not easy
Examples
- We will do our best to accommodate any special dietary requirements.
- The manager said she would do her best to accommodate our schedule.