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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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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:
Forward guidance has high-minded objectives: making the Fed more transparent and accountable and giving markets the information they need to adapt to future policy shifts without undue surprises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
For their part, the mass-market carmaker's executives say they are trying to adapt to the "reality" of stiff global competition.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
But more importantly, the outdoors would help them, and ultimately me, learn to adapt to change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Under slow warming, the entire ocean, from the surface down to its deepest layers, has time to gradually reorganize and adapt to the changing conditions," says co-author Henk Dijkstra, professor of Dynamical Oceanography.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
It operated at warp speed and had massive storage capacity so that he could mine the scientific world on every front, synthesize the data, and adapt it to his needs.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
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
"This knowledge can help to better understand and recognize mental health problems in mothers. It is important that we understand how the brain adapts to motherhood."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
It can impose disproportionate costs because it adapts, continually out-learns the enemy, and manufactures unmanned systems at greater scale and with greater skill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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
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
The “Game of Thrones” prequel, adapted from George R.R.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"There are ideas out there like the paleo diet, which is adapted to the Paleolithic environment and says we're not suited to eat foods that come post-domestication," she said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
He took the Calabresi argument seriously enough to rebut it respectfully in a 2025 speech, which is adapted as the first chapter of his coming book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
She knew as well as her dad did that giant sequoias were adapted to withstand wildfires.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
But some Arctic and sub-Arctic operators are betting the tech can still pay off—even if it means adapting their businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 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
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
On Monday, Zuckerberg said history is filled with technological change — and adapting can be challenging.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
“They’re modern and adapting and moving forward. It’s not about superficial appearances or stereotypes, and it’s not about living in the past —it’s about honoring that past by building a future. . . .”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich 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.
