ADAPT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does adapt mean? 

• ADAPT (verb)
  The verb ADAPT has 2 senses:

1. make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose

2. adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions

  Familiarity information: ADAPT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ADAPT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they adapt    ... he / she / it adapts   
Past simple: adapted   
Past participle: adapted   
-ing form: adapting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

accommodate; adapt

Context example:

Adapt our native cuisine to the available food resources of the new country

Hypernyms (to "adapt" is one way to...):

alter; change; vary (become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adapt"):

transcribe (rewrite or arrange a piece of music for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended)

electrify; wire (equip for use with electricity)

naturalise; naturalize (adopt to another place)

Christianize (adapt in the name of Christianity)

cultivate; domesticate; naturalise; naturalize; tame (adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment)

domesticate; tame (make fit for cultivation, domestic life, and service to humans)

orient; tailor (adjust to a specific need or market)

shoehorn (fit for a specific purpose even when not well suited)

anglicise; anglicize (make English in appearance)

fit (insert or adjust several objects or people)

gear; pitch (set the level or character of)

adjust (make correspondent or conformable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

adaptable (capable of adapting (of becoming or being made suitable) to a particular situation or use)

adaptative (having a capacity for adaptation)

adapter; adaptor (device that enables something to be used in a way different from that for which it was intended or makes different pieces of apparatus compatible)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

adapt; adjust; conform

Context example:

We must adjust to the bad economic situation

Hypernyms (to "adapt" is one way to...):

get used to (get or become familiar or accustomed with through experience)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adapt"):

readapt (adapt anew)

assimilate (become similar to one's environment)

focalise; focalize; focus (become focussed or come into focus)

acclimate; acclimatise; acclimatize (get used to a certain climate)

match (be equal or harmonize)

obey (be obedient to)

square (cause to match, as of ideas or acts)

readapt; readjust (adjust anew)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

adaptable (capable of adapting (of becoming or being made suitable) to a particular situation or use)

adaptation; adaption (the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions))

adaptive (having a capacity for adaptation)

 Context examples 

Because this rate of change is unprecedented, scientists expect that fish will be unable to adapt.

(Pacific island fish migrating to cooler seas, SciDev.Net)

That inevitability, along with the lack of time for organisms to adapt, is most concerning.

(Marine organisms in Southern Ocean will face shallower zone for life, National Science Foundation)

It is this last region, the ribless lumbar region, that appears to be able to adapt the most to different environments.

(What makes a mammal a mammal? Our spine, say scientists, National Science Foundation)

Overall, the research demonstrates that the reef adapted to major environmental changes such as sea level and water temperature rise more effectively than previously thought.

(Major study reveals Great Barrier Reef’s 30,000-year fight for survival, University of Granada)

Designated 2014 HQ124, the asteroid was discovered April 23, 2014, by NASA's NEOWISE mission, a space telescope adapted for scouting the skies for asteroids and comets.

(Asteroid discovered by NASA to pass Earth safely, NASA)

This repetitive and compulsive behavior is associated with cognitive rigidity or an impairment in cognitive flexibility – an inability to adapt to new situations or new rules.

(Deep brain stimulation may significantly improve OCD symptoms, University of Cambridge)

These birds were able to adapt to their environment, and sustain themselves in the food chain.

(Researchers report rapid formation of new bird species in Galápagos islands, Wikinews)

Other exercises require them to memorise instructions and adapt to changing rules.

(Study reveals attention training improves intelligence and brain function of children, University of Granada)

"There is something about the snailfish that allows them to adapt to living very deep. Beyond the reach of other fish, they are free of competitors and predators," Linley said in the statement.

(Three New Species of Fish Found at Bottom of Pacific Ocean, VOA)

To help fight the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, many scientists have been trying to adapt these peptides as potential new drugs.

(Venom of Wasp, Bee Repurposed as Antibiotic Drug, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)