adapt
adapt — verb
1. to change something so it fits a different situation, does a new job, or is turn
to change something so it fits a different situation, does a new job, or is turned into a film, play, or TV show.
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
This phone stand can be adapted for bikes, desks, and kitchen counters.
A screenwriter adapted the prize-winning novel into a six-part television drama.
A designer adapted the suitcase for snow by adding two extra wheels.
文法句型
adapt + noun + for + purpose
adapt + noun + into + film/play/show
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. to change the way you think or act so you can manage a new place, system, or set
to change the way you think or act so you can manage a new place, system, or set of conditions more successfully.
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
Not every child adapts easily when a new baby joins the family.
Tariq adapted to the fast English class by stopping word-for-word translation.
Some older drivers needed months to adapt to the city's new parking app.
- 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
文法句型
adapt to + new situation
adapt by + -ing
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
3. if a species adapts, it develops small changes over many generations that help i
if a species adapts, it develops small changes over many generations that help it survive in its environment.
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
As the lake became saltier, fewer fish adapted well enough to survive there.
After years of warmer winters, some forest insects adapted faster than the larger deer nearby.
Only a few trees adapted to the island's thin soil and strong sea air.
- evolve
broader scientific term for long-term biological change
- acclimatize
usually quicker adjustment by an individual, not generations
文法句型
adapt to + climate/environment
adapt by + -ing
用法筆記
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.