adapt 100 examples

Adapt to + situation/environment (adjust to new conditions)

This is the most common usage: becoming accustomed to a new situation, place, or change.

• She quickly adapted to her new school.
• He struggled to adapt to the climate.
• The company must adapt to market changes.
• We need to adapt to the digital age.
• Children usually adapt to new surroundings easily.
• He couldn’t adapt to city life.
• The team had to adapt to the coach’s style.
• Plants adapt to their environment.
• Soldiers must adapt to difficult conditions.
• Immigrants often adapt to a new culture.

👉 Widely used in daily life, business, and social contexts.

Adapt for + purpose (modify for use)

Here, adapt means to modify something so it works for a different purpose.

• The novel was adapted for the screen.
• He adapted the room for an office.
• The book was adapted for children.
• The story was adapted for television.
• They adapted the curriculum for online learning.
• The design was adapted for mass production.
• The software was adapted for mobile devices.
• The house was adapted for wheelchair access.
• The novel was adapted for a play.
• The program was adapted for international students.

👉 Frequent in education, technology, and media.

Adapt (oneself) (reflexive use – adjust personally)

This usage emphasizes personal flexibility and self-adjustment.

• She adapted herself to the new role.
• He quickly adapted himself to life abroad.
• She had to adapt herself to working at night.
• He tried to adapt himself to the new system.
• She adapted herself to the group’s pace.
• He adapted himself to the new rules.
• She learned to adapt herself to change.
• He had to adapt himself to the culture.
• She adapted herself to the difficult situation.
• He adapted himself to the audience.

👉 More formal or literary; less common in spoken English.

Adapt + object (to modify/change something)

Here, adapt means to make changes to something so it works better.

• Engineers adapted the machine for faster production.
• The school adapted the program to suit students’ needs.
• They adapted the software to run on Linux.
• The teacher adapted the lesson for online use.
• The team adapted the strategy to fit the opponent.
• The architect adapted the plan to the site conditions.
• The writer adapted the text for beginners.
• They adapted the car for racing.
• The chef adapted the recipe for vegetarians.
• The coach adapted the training to players’ abilities.

👉 Common in technical, creative, and problem-solving contexts.

Adaptation in passive form (be changed)

Often used when something is modified by others.

• The novel was adapted into a movie.
• The curriculum was adapted for online learning.
• The machine was adapted for industrial use.
• The story was adapted for radio.
• The software was adapted for smartphones.
• The house was adapted for disabled people.
• The law was adapted to modern society.
• The design was adapted for new technology.
• The play was adapted from a real story.
• The method was adapted for students with disabilities.

👉 Passive voice is very common with films, books, and media.

Scientific / biological sense (evolve, adjust)

In biology, adapt means to change over time to survive.

• Animals adapt to their environment.
• Species adapt to survive.
• Fish adapt to deep-sea pressure.
• Birds adapt to climate change.
• Plants adapt to desert conditions.
• Bacteria can adapt to antibiotics.
• Polar bears adapt to Arctic life.
• Insects adapt to pesticides.
• Humans adapt to high altitudes.
• Microbes adapt rapidly to changes.

👉 A scientific/academic usage in biology and ecology.

General, figurative usage (flexibility / adjusting)

This group shows adapt in broader, metaphorical senses.

• Successful people adapt quickly.
• Leaders must adapt to change.
• He couldn’t adapt fast enough.
• You must adapt or fail.
• Businesses need to adapt constantly.
• She adapted her approach.
• He adapted his behavior to the situation.
• They adapted their goals.
• The project must adapt to reality.
• He adapted his speech for the audience.

👉 Very common in business, motivation, and personal development.

Summary

✅ In summary, adapt has several main usages:

• Adapt to = adjust to environment/conditions.
• Adapt for = modify something for a purpose.
• Adapt oneself = personally adjust (formal).
• Adapt + object = change/modify something.
• Passive adapt = often for books/movies.
• Scientific adapt = evolutionary/biological change.
• General adapt = flexibility, problem-solving.