adapt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
adapts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adapted,
past participle, past
-
adapting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
adapts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adapted,
past participle, past
-
adapting
present participle
verb
-
(often foll by to) to adjust (someone or something, esp oneself) to different conditions, a new environment, etc
-
(tr) to fit, change, or modify to suit a new or different purpose
to adapt a play for use in schools
Synonym Usage
See adjust.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
adaptabilitynoun
-
adaptednessnoun
-
misadaptverb
-
readaptverb (used with object)
-
adaptableadjective
-
adaptiveadjective
-
nonadaptingadjective
-
unadaptedadjective
-
well-adaptedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
adaptsimple
-
adaptssimple
-
have adaptedperfect
-
has adaptedperfect
-
am adaptingprogressive
-
are adaptingprogressive
-
is adaptingprogressive
-
have been adaptingperfect progressive
-
has been adaptingperfect progressive
Past
-
adaptedsimple
-
had adaptedperfect
-
was adaptingprogressive
-
were adaptingprogressive
-
had been adaptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of adapt
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin adaptāre “to fit, adjust,” perhaps via French adapter; see ad-, apt
Explanation
Say you move to a country where everyone cooks with lots of hot peppers. At first the food scalds your tongue, but over time you adapt — you change in a way that allows you to deal with the new circumstances. Adapt comes from the ancient word ap, which means "take" or "grasp." Ap is even older than Latin — it comes from a lost language that was spoken by the common ancestors of modern-day Indians and Europeans and has since been reconstructed by linguists, who named it the Proto-Indo-European language, or PIE. So what does adapt have to do with grasp? If you adapt to, say, a new country, it's as though you're grabbing hold of its strange, slippery customs.
Vocabulary lists containing adapt
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: The Language of the Test
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It's not simply the charisma and tactical intelligence that made him a global managerial icon, but the ability to adapt.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Chief Executive Curtis Campbell said the results reflect improvements in the mix of H&R Block’s client base and evidence that testing and experimentation is accelerating the company’s ability to learn, adapt and scale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We’ll continue to adapt as the landscape changes and as we learn from artists, listeners, and industry partners.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
There are no bans on shipping, however, she added, and it was up to the individual captains to decide how to adjust their cargoes to adapt to the lower waters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Each week, Welles and Houseman chose a book to adapt for their broadcast.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Not for our news media anything resembling the real story—bumpy, unhappy trade-offs as humanity adapts to a new bug.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Chelsea, Mudryk and his representatives have entered an initial two-week assessment period to evaluate how he adapts to life back in an elite football environment.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
It may also depend on how the brain controls, redirects, or adapts its response to that pathology.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
The truck will also use AI to make driving decisions with “intelligent reasoning that adapts to any scenario,” the company’s website says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
The reasons and justifications change over time, as each new caste system reflects and adapts to changes in the social, political, and economic context.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Also known as “breakbone fever” — the painful, debilitating disease, which can be fatal, is caused by a virus adapted to an invasive, African mosquito known as Aedes aegypti.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
That hardware is now being adapted following NASA's move away from a lunar strategy centered on orbital operations and toward one focused more heavily on activities on the surface.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Sellers have adapted accordingly, she added, placing greater emphasis in listings on features linked to summer comfort such as air conditioning and shutters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Gallows humour gripped some supporters who made the trip after they adapted a chant which once featured the names of Guimaraes and Isak, who are now with Arsenal and Liverpool.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
To find out, they took turns riding a specially adapted elevator in Moscow’s tallest building.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Regardless of the record-breaking deadline of Sept. 6, he’s adapting to a new “finish plan” and shared this truth for us all: “Together we will conquer this seemingly impossible task.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Ukrainian troops have become expert in drone warfare over nearly 4½ years of fighting Russia, with operators and their support troops now skilled at continually repairing and adapting drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Once used to defend Britain's shores against Napoleonic France, the Ordnance Survey's detailed maps are now essential for tracking and adapting to climate change.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The research also raises a much broader question about how humans may continue adapting to modern diets.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
She had wanted to go to Columbia in New York or Adelphi in Brooklyn, but Ben said that part of education was adapting oneself to a new environment.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
