adapt

[ uh-dapt ]
/ əˈdæpt /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH adapt

adapt adept adopt

Words nearby adapt

adams-stokes syndrome, adamsite, adana, adansonian classification, adapazari, adapt, adaptable, adaptation, adapter, adaption, adaptive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to adapting

accustom, fit, prepare, conform, acclimate, modify, accommodate, shape, tailor, comply, readjust, suit, alter, revise, familiarize, square, reconcile, make, habituate, qualify

Example sentences from the Web for adapting

British Dictionary definitions for adapting

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