What does "accommodate" mean?

1. (to provide lodging) to provide someone with a place to stay or sleep. 2. (to have enough space) to have enough room for a specific number of people or things. 3. (to adjust for someone) to change your plans or a system to help someone or deal with a new situation. 4. (to consider or allow for) to take something into account when making a decision. 5. (eye focus) the way your eye changes to focus on things at different distances.

How do you use "accommodate"?

The verb is often used intransitively in this biological context.

Is it correct to say "The hotel can accomodate 200 guests."?

No — say "The hotel can accommodate 200 guests.". This word is frequently misspelled; remember it has a double 'c' and a double 'm'.

accommodate

US //əˈkɑməˌdeɪt// UK //ɐkˈɒmədˌeɪt// ac·com·mo·date

1 to provide lodging (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to provide someone with a place to stay or sleep.

to provide lodging or sufficient space for living or staying. Transitive; typically takes a person or group as the direct object.

Example

The hotel was able to accommodate the entire wedding party for the weekend.

Example

The university has struggled to accommodate the sudden influx of international students within its existing dormitory infrastructure.
- house
- lodge
- put up
Pitfall

The hotel can accomodate 200 guests.

The hotel can accommodate 200 guests.

This word is frequently misspelled; remember it has a double 'c' and a double 'm'.
2 to have enough space (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to have enough room for a specific number of people or things.

to contain comfortably or have the capacity for a specific number or volume.

Example

The new cinema screen can accommodate over five hundred people.

Example

The refurbished conference hall is designed to accommodate large-scale exhibitions while maintaining strict fire safety regulations regarding capacity.

Show 3 more sensesShow fewer

3 to adjust for someone (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

to change your plans or a system to help someone or deal with a new situation.

to modify a process, schedule, or environment to meet the needs or preferences of others.

Example

The teacher changed the exam date to accommodate students who were traveling.

Example

The software architecture was updated to accommodate the diverse requirements of the various regional branches.
- ignore
- hinder
4 to consider or allow for (v.)
C1 Advanced Academic Formal

to take something into account when making a decision.

to give consideration to or allow for a specific factor or variable in a plan or theory.

Example

The new law must accommodate the needs of small business owners.

Example

Any viable economic model must accommodate the reality of fluctuating energy prices and shifting global trade alliances.
- allow for
- incorporate
- exclude
5 eye focus (v.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Medicine

the way your eye changes to focus on things at different distances.

the process by which the vertebrate eye changes optical power to maintain a clear image or focus on an object as its distance varies.

Example

As we get older, it becomes harder for our eyes to accommodate quickly.

Example

The patient's inability to accommodate effectively suggested a potential issue with the ciliary muscles rather than a simple refractive error.

Usage

The verb is often used intransitively in this biological context.
- focus

Origin

1530s, borrowed from Latin accommodātus, perfect passive participle of accommodō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + commodō (“to provide, lend; to make fit, accommodate”), from con- + modus (“measure, proportion, limit”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix) (see English mode).

Word family

Verbaccommodate
Nounaccommodation