adjust

American  

[uh-juhst] / əˈdʒʌst /

verb (used with object)

• adjusts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• adjusted,
  past participle,  past
• adjusting
  present participle

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.

   Synonyms:

   fix, repair, set

3. to settle or bring to a satisfactory state, so that parties are agreed in the result.

   to adjust our differences.

   Synonyms:

   reconcile, rectify, arrange

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)

• adjusts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• adjusted,
  past participle,  past
• adjusting
  present participle

1. to adapt oneself; become adapted.

   They had no problems in adjusting at the new school.

adjust British  

/ əˈdʒʌst /

verb

1. (tr) to alter slightly, esp to achieve accuracy; regulate

   to 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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Usage

What does adjust mean? To adjust is to change something so that it fits or adapts to something else or to its environment, as in Macky adjusted the menu so that it included more healthy dishes. To adjust is also to fix or put into a correct position or state, as in Adjust the radio dial, please, so that the station comes in clearly. To adjust also means to put into a satisfactory state, as in Laird adjusted the pitch of his voice to blend in better with the rest of the choir. Adjust can also be used as a synonym for adapt and can be used in reference to people, animals, or objects. For example, if you move to a new city, you may need time to adjust to your new home, learning what’s available and where everything is. Example: Adjust the speakers so that they are facing the audience.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• adjuster
  noun
• misadjust
  verb
• overadjust
  verb
• preadjust
  verb (used with object)
• adjustable
  adjective
• self-adjusting
  adjective
• adjustably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• adjusting
  present
• adjusted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• adjust
  simple
• adjusts
  simple
• have adjusted
  perfect
• has adjusted
  perfect
• am adjusting
  progressive
• are adjusting
  progressive
• is adjusting
  progressive
• have been adjusting
  perfect progressive
• has been adjusting
  perfect progressive

Past

• adjusted
  simple
• had adjusted
  perfect
• was adjusting
  progressive
• were adjusting
  progressive
• had been adjusting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will adjust
  simple
• will have adjusted
  perfect
• will be adjusting
  progressive
• will have been adjusting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of adjust

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ajusten, from Anglo-French ajuster, Old French aj(o)uster “to make conform to,” verb derivative (with a- a- ⁵ ) of juste “right” ( see just ¹), influenced in sense by ajoster, ajouter “to add,” from Late Latin adjuxtāre ( see ad-, joust)

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Explanation

When you adjust to something, you change so that you can fit in, conform, or keep on going. Arriving at a new school almost always requires that you adjust a little. Once you adjust, you'll find you're as happy as you were in your old school. To adjust doesn't mean to transform in a major way. It implies small but important changes that make a big difference. If you adjust your speed by just ten miles per hour, you'll get more than fifty more miles per fill-up. You can adjust your hair to make it fancier, you can adjust your lifestyle to make it more sober, or you can adjust your attitude to make yourself less annoying. You used to have to adjust your TV antenna to get a better picture. Ask your mom.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adjust adjusts adjusted adjusting

“FedEx continues to monitor the situation in the Middle East and adjust our operations for continued service to and from the region,” a company spokesman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

To spot them, find a dark spot with wide open skies, away from city light pollution and let your eyes adjust to the night sky for 20 minutes.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

With Norm and Maria, they were people who did not adjust their work for the marketplace, they had unique visions and stuck to them — Maria still does.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The ability to adjust that motion through temperature and magnetic fields also provides an additional way to influence how superconductors behave.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Everything had a grand purpose, and there was nothing amiss in the universe; it was our job to adjust to whatever came our way.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

A target-date fund is a mix of investments that automatically adjusts over time, based on a chosen year like an expected retirement date, becoming more conservative as the account holder gets closer to retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

The utility adjusts the rates based on its costs before billing customers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Working inside a refrigerated metal chamber, she carefully adjusts a mounted tumor, roughly the size of a pinkie fingernail, toward a sharp cutting blade.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

A team monitoring the livestreams guides the hosts and adjusts the featured products they talk about in real-time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

She adjusts her thick black-framed glasses over her very freckle-specked nose.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Tesla reported flat third-quarter revenue of $28 billion and a 4% drop in adjusted net income to $1.7 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

In 1996, the median home price, adjusted for inflation, was $280,000, and today it’s around $430,000.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

For the current fiscal second quarter, the company guided for adjusted earnings of between $5.60 and $6.00 a share on revenue between $5 billion and $5.2 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

On an adjusted basis, quarterly earnings of $3.53 a share came in ahead of analyst estimates for $3.47 a share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Headmaster, however, adjusted the order, taking Neel by the arm and pulling him to the back.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

The researchers are now interested in whether the beneficial effects can be reproduced by adjusting microglial activity rather than eliminating the cells themselves.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

You knew he wasn’t adjusting a word for anybody else, and so he became a real North Star for me about what your attitude should be about your work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

He also spoke about the early days of adjusting to a new club and home, something he describes as "really difficult".

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Consumer spending was up by 2.6% in August from a year earlier even after adjusting for inflation, according to the Commerce Department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

I’m still adjusting my lunch, trying to un-smush it.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

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Related Words

• accommodate
• accustom
• adapt
• alter
• conform
• fine-tune
• fix
• modify
• regulate
• tailor

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