adapt

American  

[uh-dapt] / əˈdæpt /

verb (used with object)

1. to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly.

   They adapted themselves to the change quickly.

   He adapted the novel for movies.

   Synonyms:

   convert, rework, modify, conform, reconcile, suit, accommodate, fit

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verb (used without object)

1. to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc..

   to adapt easily to all circumstances.

adapt British  

/ əˈdæpt /

verb

1. (often foll by to) to adjust (someone or something, esp oneself) to different conditions, a new environment, etc

2. (tr) to fit, change, or modify to suit a new or different purpose

   to adapt a play for use in schools

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Related Words

See adjust.

Other Word Forms

• adaptability noun
• adaptable adjective
• adaptedness noun
• adaptive adjective
• misadapt verb
• nonadapting adjective
• readapt verb (used with object)
• unadapted adjective
• well-adapted adjective

Etymology

Origin of adapt

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin adaptāre “to fit, adjust,” perhaps via French adapter; 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.

Example Sentences

"These results are an important piece of the larger puzzle of what is going on in the overall population as they attempt to adapt to climate change in real time."

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

A strong rebounder who can move the ball upcourt, Littlepage-Buggs is worth a pick to see how she might adapt to the WNBA.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

"We must adapt, as we have lost four international locks - we will be a team of back rowers by the end of the tournament," Mitchell said.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

As such, ski resorts and mountains have had to adapt to survive.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

Now, explain a creative way to adapt this project for children.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• acclimate
• accommodate
• accustom
• alter
• comply
• conform
• fit
• modify
• prepare
• readjust
• revise
• shape
• suit
• tailor