adapt
Americanverb (used with object)
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adapts,
present (3rd person singular)
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adapted,
past participle, past
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adapting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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adapts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adapted,
past participle, past
-
adapting
present participle
verb
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(often foll by to) to adjust (someone or something, esp oneself) to different conditions, a new environment, etc
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(tr) to fit, change, or modify to suit a new or different purpose
to adapt a play for use in schools
Synonym Usage
See adjust.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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adaptabilitynoun
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adaptednessnoun
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misadaptverb
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readaptverb (used with object)
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adaptableadjective
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adaptiveadjective
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nonadaptingadjective
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unadaptedadjective
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well-adaptedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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adaptsimple
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adaptssimple
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have adaptedperfect
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has adaptedperfect
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am adaptingprogressive
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are adaptingprogressive
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is adaptingprogressive
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have been adaptingperfect progressive
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has been adaptingperfect progressive
Past
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adaptedsimple
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had adaptedperfect
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was adaptingprogressive
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were adaptingprogressive
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had been adaptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of adapt
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin adaptāre “to fit, adjust,” perhaps via French adapter; see ad-, apt
Explanation
Say you move to a country where everyone cooks with lots of hot peppers. At first the food scalds your tongue, but over time you adapt — you change in a way that allows you to deal with the new circumstances. Adapt comes from the ancient word ap, which means "take" or "grasp." Ap is even older than Latin — it comes from a lost language that was spoken by the common ancestors of modern-day Indians and Europeans and has since been reconstructed by linguists, who named it the Proto-Indo-European language, or PIE. So what does adapt have to do with grasp? If you adapt to, say, a new country, it's as though you're grabbing hold of its strange, slippery customs.
Vocabulary lists containing adapt
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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List 4
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The speed with which Iryna has been able to adapt to the complexity and skill sets required to run such a company has been impressive to watch,” said former U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Nature helps humans adapt to change, and not everyone has proximity to it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Under slow warming, the entire ocean, from the surface down to its deepest layers, has time to gradually reorganize and adapt to the changing conditions," says co-author Henk Dijkstra, professor of Dynamical Oceanography.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
It's not simply the charisma and tactical intelligence that made him a global managerial icon, but the ability to adapt.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The sponsors will help us find a place to live and schools to teach us English, and they will help us adapt to life in America.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Chelsea, Mudryk and his representatives have entered an initial two-week assessment period to evaluate how he adapts to life back in an elite football environment.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"This knowledge can help to better understand and recognize mental health problems in mothers. It is important that we understand how the brain adapts to motherhood."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
The side that adapts faster imposes costs on its enemy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The truck will also use AI to make driving decisions with “intelligent reasoning that adapts to any scenario,” the company’s website says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
"He adapts himself very well to things. He really does. I mean he really knows how to adapt himself."
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Sellers have adapted accordingly, she added, placing greater emphasis in listings on features linked to summer comfort such as air conditioning and shutters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The “Game of Thrones” prequel, adapted from George R.R.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Gallows humour gripped some supporters who made the trip after they adapted a chant which once featured the names of Guimaraes and Isak, who are now with Arsenal and Liverpool.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
These highly specialized organisms are adapted to survive in cold environments.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
He discovered he was already well adapted to an army regime, to the terrors of kit inspection and the folding of blankets into precise squares, with the labels lined up.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Regardless of the record-breaking deadline of Sept. 6, he’s adapting to a new “finish plan” and shared this truth for us all: “Together we will conquer this seemingly impossible task.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Once used to defend Britain's shores against Napoleonic France, the Ordnance Survey's detailed maps are now essential for tracking and adapting to climate change.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
On Monday, Zuckerberg said history is filled with technological change — and adapting can be challenging.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
“These were difficult decisions, but they reflect our long-standing approach of adapting early to major changes in the market,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
He’d flourished in his new environment, adapting in every way except one: No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not get used to the weather.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
