adapt

verb

ə-ˈdapt

adapted; adapting; adapts

Synonyms of adapt next

transitive verb

: to make fit (as for a new use) often by modification

adapt the curriculum to students' needs

intransitive verb

: to become adapted

adapt to a new environment

Did you know?

"Nothing in this world is as reliable as change" is a common aphorism and one we can certainly attest to as lexicographers. English speakers adapted adapt, for example, in the 15th century from the Middle French adapter, which was itself an adaptation of Latin adaptāre. That source traces back to Latin aptus, meaning "fit" or "apt." Other adaptations of aptus in English include aptitude, inept, and of course apt itself, as well as unapt and inapt.

Choose the Right Synonym for adapt

adapt, adjust, accommodate, conform, reconcile mean to bring one thing into correspondence with another.

adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances.

adapted themselves to the warmer climate

adjust suggests bringing into a close and exact correspondence or harmony such as exists between parts of a mechanism.

adjusted the budget to allow for inflation

accommodate may suggest yielding or compromising to effect a correspondence.

businesses accommodating themselves to the new political reality

conform applies to bringing into accordance with a pattern, example, or principle.

refused to conform to society's values

reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible.

tried to reconcile what he said with what I knew

Examples of adapt in a Sentence

When children go to a different school, it usually takes them a while to adapt. She has adapted herself to college life quite easily. The camera has been adapted for underwater use. The clock was adapted to run on batteries. The movie was adapted from the book of the same title. adapting the movie for television

Recent Examples on the Web Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the music and lyrics to the Broadway show, is adapting the screenplay with Winnie Holzman. —

Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024 After a groggy 18 months following the defeat of its initial invasion and the spectacular Ukrainian attacks that drove the Russians back from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, the Russian military machine is adapting. —

Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024 Mad About the Boy will mark the fourth film in the Bridget Jones series and is adapted from English author Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. —

Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024 His last novel, Mayflies, was adapted as a drama series by BBC in 2022 starring Martin Compston, Tony Curran and Ashley Jensen. —

Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024 Bostonians often joke that the city's many winding, one-way streets were adapted from colonial-era cow paths—routes literally created by livestock—that long predate the automobile. —

Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2024 Wirth’s essay built on a methodology first conceived by Spectrum contributing editor Robert N. Charette, who in the early 1990s adapted the Toyota Production System for software development. —

IEEE Spectrum, 7 Apr. 2024 Negotiating these changes at the EU level will take years, as budgets and policies will have to be adapted. —

Célia Belin, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024 Tax Time Is More Complex Another issue that investors new to alternatives must adapt to is a more complex tax filing. —

Thomas H. Ruggie, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adapt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adapted (as translation of Latin adaptātus), borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French adapter, borrowed from Latin adaptāre, from ad- ad- + aptāre "to put into position, bring to bear, make ready," verbal derivative of aptus "fastened, prepared, suitable" — more at apt entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of adapt was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Adapt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adapt. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

adapt

verb

ə-ˈdapt

: to make or become suitable

especially : to change so as to fit a new or specific use or situation

adapt to life in a new school

adapt the novel for children

adaptability

-ˌdap-tə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

adaptable

-ˈdap-tə-bəl

adjective

Etymology

from French adapter and Latin adaptare, both meaning "to adapt," from Latin ad- "to" and aptus "apt, fit" — related to apt

Medical Definition

adapt

transitive verb

ə-ˈdapt

: to make fit (as for a specific or new use or situation) often by modification

adapted himself to the new position

intransitive verb

: to become adapted : undergo adaptation

Last Updated: 13 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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adapt

verb

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Synonyms

Examples of adapt in a Sentence

Word History

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Dictionary Entries Near adapt

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Kids Definition

Medical Definition