Accustomed To Doing vs. Accustomed To Do
Cambridge records accustomed to something and gives -ing examples such as being accustomed to working or being treated in a particular way. Do not interpret the “to” after accustomed as an infinitive marker in this construction.
Use “accustomed to doing” when describing something familiar through repeated experience; the “to” belongs to the adjective + preposition pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Need | Standard form | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| describe a familiar activity | accustomed to + -ing | “to” is prepositional |
| describe a familiar thing/situation | accustomed to + noun | same adjective + preposition pattern |
| ordinary infinitive reading | not the reviewed pattern | do not treat “to” as infinitive marker here |
Quick tests
Familiarity test
Are you saying that an activity has become familiar through experience?
If yes: Use “accustomed to + -ing.”
If no: If you mean something else, verify the separate construction rather than swapping in a bare infinitive.
Caveat: This is an adjective-plus-preposition construction; the form is decided by the role of “to,” not by a general preference for gerunds.
Examples
She is accustomed to working under tight deadlines.
The -ing clause follows prepositional “to.”
We are accustomed to the traffic.
A noun phrase shows the same construction.
She is accustomed to work under tight deadlines.
Better: She is accustomed to working under tight deadlines.
For the familiar-activity meaning, the standard pattern uses -ing.
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not interpret the “to” after accustomed as an infinitive marker in this construction.
Construction
Cambridge records accustomed to something and gives -ing examples such as being accustomed to working or being treated in a particular way.
Decision
Use “accustomed to doing” when describing something familiar through repeated experience; the “to” belongs to the adjective + preposition pattern.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- accustomed to something — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Accustomed to takes a noun or -ing complement; Cambridge examples include accustomed to working/being treated