acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈa-klə-ˌmāt 

ə-ˈklī-mət,

-ˌmāt 

acclimated; acclimating

transitive verb

: to adapt (someone) to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation

They had to acclimate themselves to an urban lifestyle.

slowly becoming acclimated to a new environment

intransitive verb

: to adjust or adapt to a new temperature, climate, environment, or situation : to become acclimated

climbers gradually acclimating to the high altitude

Synonyms

• acclimatize
• accommodate
• adapt
• adjust
• condition
• conform
• doctor
• edit
• fashion
• fit
• put
• shape
• suit
• tailor

Examples of acclimate in a Sentence

I acclimated myself to the hot weather.

You might need to acclimate your plants to bright sunlight gradually.

We took a few days to get acclimated to our new teacher.

Recent Examples on the Web

The eight-year veteran is only 27 years old and has ample time to acclimate to his new digs. —Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025

Early work: The plan going in was to get Wiggins, making just his third Heat appearance, as acclimated as possible. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2025

Parque Mexico and Parque España are lush and welcoming — great for a break while getting acclimated to the city’s elevation. —Emily Goligoski, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025

European banks have been faced with the challenge of acclimating to an environment of declining interest rates, as the European Central Bank continues its cycle of monetary easing. —Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French acclimater, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + climat "climate" (going back to Old French) — more at climate

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for acclimate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈak-lə-ˌmāt  ə-ˈklī-mət 

-ˌmāt

acclimated; acclimating

: to adapt to a new climate, environment, or situation

acclimation

ˌak-lə-ˈmā-shən

ˌak-ˌlī-

noun

Medical Definition

acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈak-lə-ˌmāt; ə-ˈklī-mət  -ˌmāt 

acclimated; acclimating

: acclimatize