adapt
verb (used with object)
to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly.
were adapting
-
past progressiveof adapt.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The results suggest that early dogs were adapting quickly, long before the appearance of modern breeds, driven by their close and growing relationship with human communities.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026
The book’s collagist arrangement of autobiography and artist sketches testifies to the Modernist influences that Americans were adapting for their own material.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Dana Weigel, manager of the International Space Station, said that the astronauts were adapting well to their extended mission.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
At the club, he noticed dancers were adapting their movements to different tempos in a comparable manner.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2023
In the nurseries, the Elementary Class Consciousness lesson was over, the voices were adapting future demand to future industrial supply.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
