acclimate

verb

ac·​cli·​mate ˈa-klə-ˌmāt How to pronounce acclimate (audio)
ə-ˈklī-mət,
-ˌmāt How to pronounce acclimate (audio)
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

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 actress was known for playing the iconic TV witch who marries a mortal man, Darrin, and tries to acclimate to life as a suburban housewife. Angela Andaloro, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024 After the fallout from the initial public meetings in August, Pierre-Charles sent a letter to city leadership calling for more resources for housing and food to ensure his growing community could safely acclimate, both economically and culturally. Safiyah Riddle, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024 Stop watering for the winter and slowly acclimate them to the garden next spring. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2024 All About Its Meaning in Numerology and How to Find Yours Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Libra season is about getting acclimated with your environment, Leo. Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acclimate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acclimate.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of acclimate was in 1792

Dictionary Entries Near acclimate

Cite this Entry

“Acclimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acclimate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

acclimate

verb
ac·​cli·​mate ˈak-lə-ˌmāt How to pronounce acclimate (audio) ə-ˈklī-mət How to pronounce acclimate (audio)
-ˌmāt
acclimated; acclimating
: to adapt to a new climate, environment, or situation
acclimation
ˌak-lə-ˈmā-shən
ˌak-ˌlī-
noun

Medical Definition

acclimate

verb
acclimated; acclimating

More from Merriam-Webster on acclimate

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