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adjust

[uh-juhst]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to change (something) so that it fits, corresponds, or conforms; adapt; accommodate: to adjust expenses to income.
  2. to put in good working order; regulate; bring to a proper state or position: to adjust an instrument.
  3. to settle or bring to a satisfactory state, so that parties are agreed in the result: to adjust our differences.
  4. Insurance. to determine the amount to be paid in settlement of (a claim).
  5. to systematize.
  6. Military. to correct the elevation or deflection of (a gun).
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verb (used without object)
  1. to adapt oneself; become adapted: They had no problems in adjusting at the new school.
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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

Synonyms

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2. set; repair, fix. 3. arrange; rectify; reconcile.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for adjust

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Miss Jennie sank gracefully into her own, and allowed him to adjust the wraps around her.

  • It was dim-lighted; but his eyes had never had to adjust themselves to any other light.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • He learned to adjust himself in many ways to his new mode of life.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • It had to be uttered once in a life, to adjust the lopsidedness of the world.

    Howards End

    E. M. Forster

  • There, monsieur, if you please, we will adjust our differences.

British Dictionary definitions for adjust

adjust

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

Word Origin

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

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
adjust in Medicine

adjust

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