adapt
Americanverb (used with object)
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adapts,
present (3rd person singular)
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adapted,
past participle, past
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adapting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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adapts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adapted,
past participle, past
-
adapting
present participle
verb
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(often foll by to) to adjust (someone or something, esp oneself) to different conditions, a new environment, etc
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(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
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adaptabilitynoun
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adaptednessnoun
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misadaptverb
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readaptverb (used with object)
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adaptableadjective
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adaptiveadjective
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nonadaptingadjective
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unadaptedadjective
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well-adaptedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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adaptsimple
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adaptssimple
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have adaptedperfect
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has adaptedperfect
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am adaptingprogressive
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are adaptingprogressive
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is adaptingprogressive
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have been adaptingperfect progressive
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has been adaptingperfect progressive
Past
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adaptedsimple
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had adaptedperfect
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was adaptingprogressive
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were adaptingprogressive
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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
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List 4
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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:
They can also strengthen ecosystem resilience and help landscapes adapt to climate change.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
But Harry accused William of not doing enough to help Meghan adapt to life in the royal family.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Iran, however, has long faced sanctions and has so far shown a willingness to endure pain and a capacity to adapt to immense economic and military pressure as the conflict drags on.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Planners had said the training would include exercises to adapt to North Korea’s evolving capabilities, such as incorporating exercises to counter drones and GPS disruption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Without an ability to compose fiction, Neanderthals were unable to cooperate effectively in large numbers, nor could they adapt their social behaviour to rapidly changing challenges.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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 side that adapts faster imposes costs on its enemy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Produced by the brilliant team behind “RuPaul’s Drag Race” — Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, Tom Campbell and RuPaul himself — “Stop! That! Train!” adapts the humor of the Emmy-winning reality show for the big screen.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 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
New Keynesians like Mankiw adapted the Keynesian model to include this expectations phenomenon, while maintaining that prices and wages in the real world adjust slowly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Now, as climate change warms the sea and melts that ice, they have adapted.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Unlike the British, from whom the America’s founders adapted impeachment, the Framers wrote a definition of impeachable conduct into the Constitution—“treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
The writers adapted the character to suit Reynolds’ strengths and personality, which is something Sudeikis says they’ve always done for the cast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
That is hardly surprising—this had been the human diet for hundreds of thousands of years, and the human body was well adapted to it.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
But the continent can reduce the harm by better adapting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Visiting victims of the West Midlands wildfire on Friday, he told BBC Five Live that there needs to be a focus on adapting to the changing climate, including considering aerial firefighting resources.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"I actually think that what we are seeing is because our bodies are not adapting," Dr Bierwirth said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
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
“Whatever their real nature is, they’re unique among magical creatures because they aren’t limited to one kind of magic. You can find them anywhere, adapting to anything.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
