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:
They were struggling, initially, to adapt to her new style which demands lots of possession, an attacking mindset and high-risk football.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Some experts believe that courts could adapt legal doctrine to address malfeasance by A.I., much as they once found a way to convict companies, not just individuals, for crimes.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
Observing changes in nuclear shape and migration patterns after weeks of exposure provided evidence that glioblastoma cells can adapt to their mechanical environment in lasting ways.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
The actor worked with Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers to adapt the true story of a radio news broadcaster and an aggrieved kidnapper with modern-day parallels to figures like Luigi Mangione.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
They hadn’t counted on the highly controlled jabberjay having the brains to adapt to the wild, to pass on its genetic code, to thrive in a new form.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Instead, it produces distinct structural changes on each side, potentially providing clues about how the nervous system adapts to regular physical activity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Now, as Mejuri adapts to the new market, its contingency planning for the coming years includes a scenario that was previously unthinkable: gold nearly doubling again—to $8,000 a troy ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
She runs away to a place where she adapts quickly to the creatures around her, and learns how to feel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Haydn Parry: It will be interesting to see how wide receiver Carnell Tate, fourth overall pick by Tennessee, adapts among the big boys.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The reasons and justifications change over time, as each new caste system reflects and adapts to changes in the social, political, and economic context.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Understanding these habitats may therefore help explain how ancient human groups moved through the region and adapted to changing environmental conditions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Mr. Ocker reports that he consumed 82 hours of “fiction media” adapted from or inspired by “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The ease with which he has adapted to playing for Liverpool has been impressive and even surprised senior figures at the club.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Writer-directors often beat screenwriters like ‘Project Hail Mary’s’ Drew Goddard, though ‘The Invite,’ adapted by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack from a Spanish play and film, is another strong contender.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
However, those tropical African crops could never be transmitted across South Africa’s Fish River, beyond which they were stopped by Mediterranean conditions to which they were not adapted.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
"For centuries, Oxford Street has reinvented itself, adapting to changing times and helping shape British culture along the way," he added, saying the move would "revitalise" the road and make the capital "greener".
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Mortonson said the AI cycle will be unlike anything ever seen before, because the infrastructure build-out for companies adapting to that will run probably through 2030.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Securing the right crude for the products with the highest margins, adapting what the refinery produces, or deferring maintenance enables oil companies to capture as much of the fleeting margins as possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Despite her condition, she has continued to make public appearances and speak openly about adapting to life with deteriorating vision, stating that "the radio has always been important to me".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Whatever their real nature is, they’re unique among magical creatures because they aren’t limited to one kind of magic. You can find them anywhere, adapting to anything.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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