adapt

adapt — verb

1. to change something so it fits a different situation, does a new job, or is turn

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to change something so it fits a different situation, does a new job, or is turned into a film, play, or TV show.

Example

The clinic adapted its opening hours after many parents asked for evening appointments.

adapt + service after users' needs change

Engineers adapted the old factory into a bright library for local children.

adapt + building into + new use

Common collocations
  • adapt a plan
  • adapt a building
  • adapt a novel
  • adapt for television
Synonyms
  • modify

    more technical or formal; common for systems, machines, or plans

  • tailor

    stresses shaping something for a particular person or group

  • convert

    often suggests a larger change of purpose, especially for buildings

Antonyms
  • keep

    to leave something in its present form

  • preserve

    to avoid changing the original form

Grammar Patterns

adapt + noun + for + purpose

adapt + noun + into + film/play/show

Usage Note

Object is usually a tool, building, plan, or text. When the new form is a medium, English commonly uses 'adapt ... for television' or 'adapt ... into a film'. Distinguish from sense 2, where a person changes their own behaviour.

Common Mistakes

The director adapted the novel to a film.
The director adapted the novel for film.' / 'The director adapted the novel into a film.
use 'for' or 'into' when you change a story's medium.

2. to change the way you think or act so you can manage a new place, system, or set

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to change the way you think or act so you can manage a new place, system, or set of conditions more successfully.

Example

Aya adapted quickly to school life in Kaohsiung after moving from Hokkaido.

adapt to + new place or routine

After the company went fully remote, many workers adapted by planning stricter routines.

adapt by + -ing

Common collocations
  • adapt quickly
  • adapt to change
  • adapt to school life
  • adapt by learning
Synonyms
  • adjust

    close in meaning, often for smaller personal changes

  • settle in

    more informal; stresses becoming comfortable in a new place

  • get used to

    everyday phrase focusing on the gradual process

Antonyms
  • resist

    to push against the new situation instead of changing

  • struggle

    to have difficulty coping successfully

Grammar Patterns

adapt to + new situation

adapt by + -ing

Usage Note

Usually followed by 'to' plus the new situation, place, or rule. The subject is normally a person or group making deliberate changes. Distinguish from sense 3, where the change happens gradually in living things over generations.

Common Mistakes

She adapted with the new schedule.
She adapted to the new schedule.
use 'adapt to' for the situation you are getting used to.

3. if a species adapts, it develops small changes over many generations that help i

3.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

if a species adapts, it develops small changes over many generations that help it survive in its environment.

Example

Over many generations, desert foxes adapted to long dry seasons and scarce water.

adapt to + environmental pressure

These mountain flowers adapted by growing low to the ground in strong wind.

adapt by + -ing in biology context

Common collocations
  • adapt to drought
  • adapt to cold
  • adapt over generations
  • adapt to an environment
Synonyms
  • evolve

    broader scientific term for long-term biological change

  • acclimatize

    usually quicker adjustment by an individual, not generations

Antonyms
  • die out

    to disappear because survival is no longer possible

  • perish

    to die instead of surviving changing conditions

Grammar Patterns

adapt to + climate/environment

adapt by + -ing

Usage Note

Subject should be a living thing, a species, or a population, not a machine or plan. This sense describes slow biological change, not the personal adjustment in sense 2.

Common Mistakes

The lizard adapted the heat.
The lizard adapted to the heat.
in this sense, living things usually adapt to an environment rather than take a direct object.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For sense 1, 'adapt' is the broad everyday verb for changing something so it works in new conditions or in a new form. 'Adjust' usually suggests a smaller change, such as moving the seat or changing a schedule. 'Modify' sounds more technical or formal, especially for rules, machines, or plans. 'Tailor' stresses shaping something for particular people or needs, so a teacher can tailor materials for beginners. 'Convert' often points to a larger change of purpose, especially with buildings or systems. You can adapt a novel for television, adjust the ending, tailor the script for children, or convert an old warehouse into apartments.

adapt ↗adjust ↗modify ↗tailor ↗convert ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • adapt to new conditions
  • adapt well to
  • be adapted for
  • be adapted from

Prepositions

  • adapt to
  • adapt for
  • adapt into
  • adapt from

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

English 'adapt' comes through French from Latin 'adaptare', which meant 'fit to' or 'make suitable for'. The Latin verb joins 'ad-' meaning 'to' with a form related to 'apt', the idea of fitness or suitability. From the beginning, the word carried the sense of making something fit a purpose, and later English extended it to people adjusting to new situations and to species changing to stay alive in a particular environment.