Accommodate – What does it mean?

“To Accommodate” has several explanations. Let’s take a look at some of the most common meanings. In general, we can say that it means: “To provide living space or storage”. For example, “the new students will be accommodated in residence halls” or “We didn’t have enough space in our office to accommodate all of the files.

Accommodation, Accommodating, Accommodate, all meaning providing comfort in one form or another. This post is full of examples of what “Accommodate” is all about and when and how to use it.

“Accommodate” is a verb meaning to “suit” or give someone what is needed like in “The existing policy fails to accommodate the community’s disabled” and “The organization always accommodates (= helps) its clients with the needed financial assistance”.

I’ll give you some more examples:

  • While Steve was in the library, he was also seeking out information about accommodation in town
  • Feeling sympathy for the homeless is fine, but finding secure and affordable accommodation for these people is something totally different
  • Usually, hostels are okay as a stopgap for families until they can be provided with permanent accommodation
  • On our campus, there’s accommodation for some 500 students
  • The price tag is including travel & accommodation but drinks and meals are extra

You can also accommodate yourself, meaning you change your behavior or yourself to suit a new condition or another person like in “Some workers found it difficult to accommodate themselves in the new production facility”.

When it comes to your eyes, check out the use of “accommodate” as specialized eye anatomy like in “Please accommodate the shape of my eye lens to see more clearly”.

There are some slight differences between the meaning of “Accommodate” in English and American English but in general, the meanings are similar. Let’s take a closer look:

To provide a place or space for a group, like in: “The school’s new dormitory can accommodate 300 students”.
To give someone what is required or needed, like in: “We always want to accommodate disabled students”.

In Business, the verb “Accommodate” has also a function when it stands for providing or having the space something or someone needs, like in: “The old airport just doesn’t have enough capacity to accommodate the recently increased air traffic.

It can also mean to give or offer someone what s/he needs or wants lime in: “Employers have to accommodate employees’ requests not to have to be working on Sundays if other employees are inclined to shift switches.

Another meaning can be considering and including something in a plan or design, like in: “To accommodate the new wheelchairs, all the restaurant owner needed to do was widening the side doorways.