adapt

[uh-dapt]

See more synonyms for adapt on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of adapt

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

Related formsa·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

Can be confusedadapt adept adopt

Synonyms for adapt

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

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

Synonym study

1. See adjust.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for adapted

fitting, becoming

Examples from the Web for adapted

Contemporary Examples of adapted

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of adapted

His narrative is adapted alike for the juvenile mind and for the adult.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 14, 1870
Various
The music was adapted from Athaliah, which, so far, had only been heard at Oxford.
Handel
Edward J. Dent
But his instrument was never used on the ocean lines, and, indeed, it was not adapted for them.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
But Mr. Thoreau was equipped with a most adapted and serviceable body.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 10, No. 58, August, 1862
Various
During my seclusion from the world, I had adapted my dress to my situation.
Beaux and Belles of England
Mary Robinson

British Dictionary definitions for adapted

adapt

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 Formsadaptable, 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

Word Origin and History for adapted

adapt

early 15c. (implied in adapted) "to fit (something, for some purpose)," from Middle French adapter (14c.), from Latin adaptare "adjust," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + aptare "join," from aptus "fitted" (see apt). Meaning "to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances" (intransitive) is from 1956. Related: Adapting.