accustom

verb

ac·​cus·​tom ə-ˈkə-stəm How to pronounce accustom (audio)
accustomed; accustoming; accustoms

transitive verb

: to make familiar with something through use or experience
accustomation noun

Examples of accustom in a Sentence

the task of accustoming new recruits to shipboard life
Recent Examples on the Web The neighborhood, just a mile east of the University of California, Los Angeles, is accustomed to attention. William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024 For reasons of geography, they were accustomed to diffuse authority. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 People who use ride sharing services like Uber or Lyft are accustomed to the companies boosting prices when roads are congested or demand is high. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 Dan + Shay are accustomed to being an award-winning duo, so PEOPLE decided to put the two friends to the real test. Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 While teachers 30 and older are accustomed to making less than the average worker, historically, early-career educators made more than other young entry-level employees. USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 Many musicians are now accustomed to releasing singles, and within a short span of time, also dropping alternate takes on those titles. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Loftin is getting accustomed defensively to playing different positions. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Motorists are also accustomed to paying for gasoline quickly with a credit card, but EV charging stations often have cumbersome payment procedures that vary from one provider to the next. Peter Douglas, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accustom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acustomen "to habituate (reflexive or intransitive)," borrowed from Anglo-French acustumer, acostumer, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + -customer, costomer, verbal derivative of custume custom entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of accustom was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near accustom

Cite this Entry

“Accustom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accustom. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

accustom

verb
ac·​cus·​tom ə-ˈkəs-təm How to pronounce accustom (audio)
: to make familiar

More from Merriam-Webster on accustom

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