adapt

[ uh-dapt ]

/ əˈdæpt /

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See synonyms for: adapt / adapted / adapting on Thesaurus.com

Definition of adapt

verb (used with object)

to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly: They adapted themselves to the change quickly. He adapted the novel for movies.

verb (used without object)

to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc.: to adapt easily to all circumstances.

OTHER WORDS FOR adapt

1 fit, accommodate, suit, reconcile, conform; modify, rework, convert.

See synonyms for adapt on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of adapt

1605–15; <Latin adaptāre to fit, adjust, perhaps via French adapter.See ad-, apt

synonym study for adapt

1. See adjust.

OTHER WORDS FROM adapt

a·dapt·ed·ness, nounmis·a·dapt, verbnon·a·dapt·ing, adjectivere·a·dapt, verb (used with object)

un·a·dapt·ed, adjectivewell-a·dapt·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH adapt

adapt , adept, adopt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use adapt in a sentence

The pandemic has put retailers under tremendous strain but rewarded those that adapted nimbly.
The 21 best stocks to buy for 2021|Anne Sraders|November 20, 2020|Fortune
The good news is that colugos appear to adapt well to forested human environments, including the villages in Langkawi.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops|Yao-Hua Law|November 20, 2020|Science News
Here are some of the major celebrations, plus a few ancillary events, that have adapted to the health crisis without sacrificing the joy and cheer of the holidays.
NYC for the holidays: The city’s classic traditions have been tweaked for the times|Andrea Sachs|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
However, the fact that I had to adapt a bootstrapped approach slowed down our progress, made it difficult to build a technology product to properly test market fit, and prevented the company from achieving major milestones before it ran out of money.
To jump-start America’s economy, invest in women entrepreneurs of color|matthewheimer|November 19, 2020|Fortune

Displayed as a colorful mural on the first floor, the open-source images from the ongoing portrait project have been adapted into billboards, projections and even postage stamps.
You have until Nov. 22 to visit these six Smithsonian museums. Here’s what to expect.|Kelsey Ables|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Since the 1950s, fluoride has adapted itself to the prevailing concerns of the time.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
This article was adapted from one originally published by IranWire.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq|IranWire|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What do you think is the best fantasy work that has not been adapted that should?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This article is adapted from one by Masud Moheb originally published by IranWire on 26 December 2014.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This article is adapted from one originally published by IranWire.
50 Shades of Iran: The Mullahs’ Kinky Fantasies about Sex in the West|IranWire, Shima Sharabi|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When you think of the number of people who suffered and died—or adapted—so that I could be sitting here now.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
It is used for a variety of ornamental purposes, for which, from its extreme natural beauty, it is peculiarly adapted.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
In 1820 Treskerby engine, to which Trevithick's high-pressure pole had been adapted, had reached 403 millions.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
M is a motor adapted for plucking open the pallet P through the medium of strap s.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
Its aromatic flavor is not adapted to the general taste, and some little time is required to develop a decided love for it.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for adapt

adapt

/ (əˈdæpt) /

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 purposeto adapt a play for use in schools

Derived forms of adapt

adaptable, adjectiveadaptability or adaptableness, nounadaptive, adjective

Word Origin for adapt

C17: from Latin adaptāre, from ad- to + aptāre to fit, from aptus apt

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

adapt

Definition of adapt

OTHER WORDS FOR adapt

Origin of adapt

synonym study for adapt

OTHER WORDS FROM adapt

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH adapt

Words related to adapt

How to use adapt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for adapt

Derived forms of adapt

Word Origin for adapt