Synonyms

adjust

American

[uh-juhst] / əˈdʒʌst /

verb (used with object)

to change (something) so that it fits, corresponds, or conforms; adapt; accommodate.

to adjust expenses to income.
to put in good working order; regulate; bring to a proper state or position.

to adjust an instrument.

Synonyms:

fix, repair, set
to settle or bring to a satisfactory state, so that parties are agreed in the result.

to adjust our differences.

Synonyms:

reconcile, rectify, arrange
Insurance. to determine the amount to be paid in settlement of (a claim).
to systematize.
Military. to correct the elevation or deflection of (a gun).

verb (used without object)

to adapt oneself; become adapted.

They had no problems in adjusting at the new school.

adjust British

/ əˈdʒʌst /

verb

(tr) to alter slightly, esp to achieve accuracy; regulate

to adjust the television
to adapt, as to a new environment, etc
(tr) to put into order
(tr) insurance to determine the amount payable in settlement of (a claim)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does adjust mean? To adjust is to change something so that it fits or adapts to something else or to its environment, as in Macky adjusted the menu so that it included more healthy dishes. To adjust is also to fix or put into a correct position or state, as in Adjust the radio dial, please, so that the station comes in clearly. To adjust also means to put into a satisfactory state, as in Laird adjusted the pitch of his voice to blend in better with the rest of the choir. Adjust can also be used as a synonym for adapt and can be used in reference to people, animals, or objects. For example, if you move to a new city, you may need time to adjust to your new home, learning what’s available and where everything is. Example: Adjust the speakers so that they are facing the audience.

Synonym Usage

Adjust, adapt, alter in their literal meanings imply making necessary or desirable changes (as in position, shape, or the like). To adjust is to move into proper position for use: to adjust the eyepiece of a telescope. To adapt is to make a change in character, to make something useful in a new way: to adapt a paper clip for a hairpin. To alter is to change the appearance but not the use: to alter the height of a table.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of adjust

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ajusten, from Anglo-French ajuster, Old French aj(o)uster “to make conform to,” verb derivative (with a- a- ⁵ ) of juste “right” ( see just ¹), influenced in sense by ajoster, ajouter “to add,” from Late Latin adjuxtāre ( see ad-, joust)

Explanation

When you adjust to something, you change so that you can fit in, conform, or keep on going. Arriving at a new school almost always requires that you adjust a little. Once you adjust, you'll find you're as happy as you were in your old school. To adjust doesn't mean to transform in a major way. It implies small but important changes that make a big difference. If you adjust your speed by just ten miles per hour, you'll get more than fifty more miles per fill-up. You can adjust your hair to make it fancier, you can adjust your lifestyle to make it more sober, or you can adjust your attitude to make yourself less annoying. You used to have to adjust your TV antenna to get a better picture. Ask your mom.

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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:

adjust adjusts adjusted adjusting

The change should improve price discovery by allowing stocks previously stuck at the 50 rupiah floor to adjust to market-clearing levels, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

"In this league, you have so many different opponents and you have to be able to adjust and do something different," said the Blues boss.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Bompastor said her side were prepared to "mentally fight" and able to "adjust" to Arsenal's pressure in a way perhaps they didn't last season.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Carefully controlled laser beams were then used to adjust how the ions interacted with one another.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

In contrast, humankind ascended to the top so quickly that the ecosystem was not given time to adjust.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

That pattern suggests the sleeping brain adjusts its blood vessels in response to changing neuronal activity and metabolic demand.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Verstappen arrives and briefly adjusts the fan blowing in our direction.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Social Security adjusts your benefit at FRA to account for those months during which your benefits were withheld because of excess earnings.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

All eyes have been on Justin Herbert this offseason as he adjusts to Mike McDaniel’s new-look offense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Colin adjusts his cap, retrieves the LDV armband from his pocket, and puts it on.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

As soon as we’ve adjusted to the absurdism, Iñárritu gives the movie a seismic jolt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

But the three big lines are at their prepandemic valuations on the basis of forward enterprise value to adjusted cash flow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The CDP has now considered this issue and adjusted their decision on the sanction accordingly.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

In the second quarter, adjusted net margin fell sharply from 6.2 percent to 2.1 percent on-year.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Slowly Daddy adjusted his jacket, took a deep breath, and followed the woman into President Davis’s office.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

"In the last three years, I've been creating an annual menu that I end up adjusting many times, almost weekly, because certain products aren't available," Brazilian chef Alex Atala told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Even so, it can continue processing information when energy is limited by adjusting how available resources are used.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

A popular product in the run-up to the subprime-mortgage crisis, ARMs offer a lower interest rate up front for a fixed number of years before adjusting periodically based on the prevailing interest rate.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

The lawsuit alleges people wearing the smart glasses were unwittingly transmitting data to Meta whenever they used Meta AI by saying “Hey Meta,” or sometimes accidentally when adjusting the glasses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

When I was done, I made my second batch, adjusting the ingredients a little.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023