adapt

American  

[uh-dapt] / əˈdæpt /

verb (used with object)

1. to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly.

   They adapted themselves to the change quickly.

   He adapted the novel for movies.

   Synonyms:

   convert, rework, modify, conform, reconcile, suit, accommodate, fit

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verb (used without object)

1. to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc..

   to adapt easily to all circumstances.

adapt British  

/ əˈdæpt /

verb

1. (often foll by to) to adjust (someone or something, esp oneself) to different conditions, a new environment, etc

2. (tr) to fit, change, or modify to suit a new or different purpose

   to adapt a play for use in schools

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Related Words

See adjust.

Other Word Forms

• adaptability noun
• adaptable adjective
• adaptedness noun
• adaptive adjective
• misadapt verb
• nonadapting adjective
• readapt verb (used with object)
• unadapted adjective
• well-adapted adjective

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.

Example Sentences

But that happiness has been accompanied by hard moments and difficulties to adapt to a new life in a country that, at times, feels alien to him.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Protecting native fungal biodiversity is critical for maintaining healthy forests and preserving the genetic diversity needed to adapt to climate change.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026

The new chips were designed to handle larger, more complex workloads and to adapt to the evolving capabilities of AI models, the company added.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

"We've had fevers, vomiting and stomach problems. But we're told that's normal and that we must adapt."

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

“Oh, well, excuse me for feeling any opposition to you waltzing into my room without knocking and suggesting that I adapt to your uninvited presence.”

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• acclimate
• accommodate
• accustom
• alter
• comply
• conform
• fit
• modify
• prepare
• readjust
• revise
• shape
• suit
• tailor