Meanings
verbadapt (third-person singular simple present adapts, present participle adapting, simple past and past participle adapted)
present singular third person adapts · participle present adapting · participle past adapted · past adapted
- transitiveTo fit by alteration; to modify or remodel for a different purpose; to adjust.
to adapt a story for the stage
1 more example
to adapt an old machine to a new manufacture
- transitiveTo make by altering or fitting something else; to produce by change of form or character.
a word of an adapted form
1 more example
to bring out a play adapted from the French
- intransitiveTo make oneself comfortable to a new thing.
They could not adapt to the new climate and so perished.
adjectiveadapt (comparative more adapt, superlative most adapt)
comparative more adapt · superlative most adapt
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ptós
- Proto-Italic*aptos
- Latinaptus
- Proto-Indo-European[Term?]
- Proto-Italic*apjō
- Latinapiō
- Latinaptō
- Latinadaptō
- Middle English*adapten
- Englishadapt
From Middle English *adapten (attested in Middle English adapted (past participle)), from Latin adaptāre (“to fit to”), from ad- (“to”) + aptāre (“to make fit”), from aptus (“fit”); see apt.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic يتكيف مع
- يتكيف معto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Basque egokitu, adaptatu
- egokituto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- adaptatuto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Bulgarian приспособя́вам, приспособявам се
- приспособя́вам (prisposobjávam)to make suitable
- приспособявам се (prisposobjavam se)to make suitable
- нагласям (naglasjam)to fit by alteration
- преработвам (prerabotvam)to make by altering
Catalan adaptar, adaptar
- adaptarto make suitable
- adaptarto fit by alteration
- adaptarto make by altering
- adaptar-seto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Chinese Cantonese 適應 /适应
- 適應 /适应 (sik¹ jing³)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Chinese Mandarin 適應 /适应, 適應 /适应
- 適應 /适应 (shìyìng)to make suitable
- 適應 /适应 (shìyìng)to fit by alteration
- 改編 /改编 (gǎibiān)to make by altering
- 改寫 /改写 (gǎixiě)to make by altering
- 適應 /适应 (shìyìng)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Czech adaptovat, přizpůsobit
- adaptovatto make suitable
- přizpůsobitto make suitable
- upravitto make suitable
- adaptovatto fit by alteration
- přizpůsobitto fit by alteration
- upravitto fit by alteration
- adaptovatto make by altering
- přizpůsobit seto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Danish tilpasse
- tilpasseto make suitable
Dutch aanpassen, aanpassen
- aanpassento make suitable
- aanpassento fit by alteration
- bewerkento fit by alteration
- bewerkento make by altering
Esperanto adapti, akomodi
- adaptito make suitable
- akomodito make suitable
- alaranĝito fit by alteration
- alfarito fit by alteration
- adaptiĝito make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- akomodiĝito make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Finnish sovittaa, mukauttaa
- sovittaato make suitable
- mukauttaato make suitable
- sopeuttaato make suitable
- soveltaato make suitable
- sovittaato fit by alteration
- mukauttaato make by altering
- sopeutuato make oneself comfortable to a new thing
French adapter, s'adapter
- adapterto make suitable
- s'adapterto fit by alteration
- adapterto make by altering
- s'adapterto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
German anpassen, angleichen
- anpassento make suitable
- angleichento make suitable
- anwendento make suitable
- einrichtento make suitable
- anpassento fit by alteration
- modifizierento fit by alteration
- überarbeitento fit by alteration
- umarbeitento fit by alteration
- adaptierento fit by alteration
- umschreibento fit by alteration
- einpassento fit by alteration
- bearbeitento fit by alteration
Hungarian illeszt, hozzáilleszt
- illesztto make suitable
- hozzáillesztto make suitable
- hozzáigazítto make suitable
- átdolgozto fit by alteration
- adaptálto fit by alteration
- átállítto fit by alteration
- átültetto make by altering
- adaptálto make by altering
- alkalmazkodikto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Irish oiriúnaigh
- oiriúnaighto make suitable
Italian adattare, adattare
- adattareto make suitable
- adattareto fit by alteration
- adattareto make by altering
- adattarsito make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Japanese 適応する
- 適応する (tekiō suru)to make suitable
Korean 적응하다
- 적응하다 (jeogeunghada)to make suitable
Latin adaptō
- adaptōto make suitable
Māori urutau, whakaarotau
- urutauto make suitable
- whakaarotauto make suitable
- urutauto fit by alteration
- whāurutauto fit by alteration
- whakaurutauto fit by alteration
Norwegian Bokmål tilpasse, anpasse
- tilpasseto make suitable
- anpasseto make suitable
Polish adaptować, zaadaptować
- adaptowaćto make suitable
- zaadaptowaćto make suitable
- adaptowaćto fit by alteration
- zaadaptowaćto fit by alteration
- adaptować sięto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- zaadaptować sięto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Portuguese adaptar, adaptar
- adaptarto make suitable
- adaptarto fit by alteration
- adaptarto make by altering
- adaptar-se ato make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Romanian adapta
- adaptato make suitable
Russian приспоса́бливать, приспосо́бить
- приспоса́бливать (prisposáblivatʹ)to make suitable
- приспосо́бить (prisposóbitʹ)to make suitable
- подгоня́ть (podgonjátʹ)to make suitable
- подогна́ть (podognátʹ)to make suitable
- адапти́ровать (adaptírovatʹ)to make suitable
- приспоса́бливаться (prisposáblivatʹsja)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- приспосо́биться (prisposóbitʹsja)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- адапти́роваться (adaptírovatʹsja)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Slovak prispôsobiť, prispôsobiť
- prispôsobiťto make suitable
- prispôsobiťto fit by alteration
- prerobiťto make by altering
- priviknúťto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Spanish adaptar, adaptar
- adaptarto make suitable
- adaptarto fit by alteration
- adaptarto make by altering
- adaptarseto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- circunscribirseto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- ceñirseto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Swedish anpassa
- anpassato make suitable
Tagalog iangkop, umangkop
- iangkopto make suitable
- umangkopto make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Turkish uydurmak, adapte etmek
- uydurmakto make suitable
- adapte etmekto make suitable
- uymakto fit by alteration
- uyum sağlamakto fit by alteration
- adapte olmakto fit by alteration
- uyarlamakto make by altering
Ukrainian пристосо́вувати, пристосува́ти
- пристосо́вувати (prystosóvuvaty)to make suitable
- пристосува́ти (prystosuváty)to make suitable
- адаптува́ти (adaptuváty)to make suitable
- пристосо́вуватися (prystosóvuvatysja)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- пристосува́тися (prystosuvátysja)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
- адаптува́тися (adaptuvátysja)to make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Vietnamese thích nghi
- thích nghito make oneself comfortable to a new thing
Welsh addasu
- addasuto make suitable
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with adapt
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
adapt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adapt
MLA
“adapt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adapt. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adapt,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adapt.
Source: adapt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.