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definitions

adjust

[ uh-juhst ]
/ əˈdʒʌst /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adjust ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to adapt oneself; become adapted: They had no problems in adjusting at the new school.

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RELATED WORDS

conform, fine-tune, accustom, fix, modify, accommodate, tailor, adapt, regulate, alter, tighten, balance, overhaul, correct, readjust, improve, standardize, allocate, coordinate, compose

Nearby words

  1. adjunct professor,
  2. adjunction,
  3. adjunctive,
  4. adjuration,
  5. adjure,
  6. adjustability,
  7. adjustable,
  8. adjustable spanner,
  9. adjustable-pitch,
  10. adjustable-rate mortgage

Origin of adjust

1350–1400; Middle English ajusten < Anglo-French ajuster, Old French aj(o)uster to make conform to, verbal derivative, with a- a-5, of juste right, just1, influenced in sense by ajouter, ajoster to add < Late Latin adjuxtāre; see ad-,joust
Related formsmis·ad·just, verbo·ver·ad·just, verbpre·ad·just, verb (used with object)self-ad·just·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. Adjust, adapt, alter in their literal meanings imply making necessary or desirable changes (as in position, shape, or the like). To adjust is to move into proper position for use: to adjust the eyepiece of a telescope. To adapt is to make a change in character, to make something useful in a new way: to adapt a paper clip for a hairpin. To alter is to change the appearance but not the use: to alter the height of a table.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for adjust

British Dictionary definitions for adjust

adjust

/ (əˈdʒʌst) /

verb

(tr) to alter slightly, esp to achieve accuracy; regulateto adjust the television
to adapt, as to a new environment, etc
(tr) to put into order
(tr) insurance to determine the amount payable in settlement of (a claim)
Derived Formsadjustable, adjectiveadjustably, adverbadjuster, noun

Word Origin for adjust

C17: from Old French adjuster, from ad- to + juste right, just
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 adjust

adjust

v.

late 14c., ajusten, "to correct, remedy;" reborrowed by c.1600 in sense "arrange, settle, compose," from Middle French adjuster, Old French ajouter "to join" (12c.), from Late Latin adjuxtare "to bring near," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + juxta "next," related to jungere "to join" (see jugular).

Influenced by folk etymology derivation from Latin iustus "just, equitable, fair." Meaning "to arrange (something) so as to conform with (a standard or another thing)" is from 1660s. Insurance sense is from 1755. Meaning "to get used to" first recorded 1924. Related: Adjusted; adjusting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for adjust

adjust

[ ə-jŭst′ ]

v.

To bring into proper relationship.
To treat disorders of the spine by correcting slight dislocations between vertebrae using chiropractic techniques.
To achieve a psychological balance with regard to one's external environment, one's needs, and the demands of others.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.