adjust — English Dictionary

Verb

1. To modify.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   Morimoto's recipes are adjusted to suit the American palate.

   More examples (1)

   As the world's drug habit shows, governments are failing in their quest to monitor every London window-box and Andean hillside for banned plants. But even that Sisyphean task looks easy next to the fight against synthetic drugs. No sooner has a drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one.

2. To improve or rectify.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   He adjusted his initial conclusion to reflect the new data.

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   But poverty’s scourge is fiercest below $1.25 (the average of the 15 poorest countries’ own poverty lines, measured in 2005 dollars and adjusted for differences in purchasing power): people below that level live lives that are poor, nasty, brutish and short.

3. To settle an insurance claim.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Murder is dealt with by the law of blood-revenge, but the innocent manslayer may seek asylum at God's altar. With murder are ranked man-stealing, offences against parents, and witchcraft. Other injuries are occasions of self-help or of private suits to be adjusted at the sanctuary.

4. To change to fit circumstances.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Synonyms

   accommodate

   Examples

   Most immigrants adjust quickly to a new community.

   She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Verb

1. alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard

   Synonyms

   setcorrect

   Broader terms

   changealtermodify

   Examples

   Adjust the clock, please

   correct the alignment of the front wheels

2. place in a line or arrange so as to be parallel or straight

   Synonyms

   alignalineline up

   Broader terms

   reorient

   Examples

   align the car with the curb

   align the sheets of paper on the table

3. adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions

   Synonyms

   conformadapt

   Broader terms

   get used to

   Examples

   We must adjust to the bad economic situation

4. make correspondent or conformable

   Broader terms

   adaptaccommodate

   Examples

   Adjust your eyes to the darkness

5. decide how much is to be paid on an insurance claim

   Broader terms

   decidesettleresolveadjudicate