adaptor

IPA/ɐdˈaptə/
KK[ədˈæptɚ]IPA/ədˈæptər/

adaptor — noun

1. a small plug, often with several outlets, that lets you run more than one electr

1.nounB2
Definition

a small plug, often with several outlets, that lets you run more than one electrical item from a single wall socket, or that lets a plug from one country fit a socket of a different shape.

Example

Hugo bought a travel adaptor before his trip to Tokyo so his laptop charger would fit Japanese sockets.

travel adaptor for foreign sockets

The hotel room had only one wall socket, so Layla used an adaptor to plug in her phone and hairdryer.

adaptor connects multiple devices to one socket

Common collocations
  • travel adaptor
  • plug adaptor
  • three-way adaptor
  • European adaptor
  • use an adaptor
Synonyms
  • plug adaptor

    more specific compound, often used in instructions

  • power adaptor

    narrower — usually refers to a unit that also converts voltage

Grammar Patterns

plug an adaptor into [socket]

Usage Note

Often appears in compounds such as 'travel adaptor', 'plug adaptor', or 'three-way adaptor'. British spelling; American English usually writes 'adapter'.

Common Mistakes

I plugged the adaptor in the socket.
I plugged the adaptor into the socket.
use 'into' for inserting a plug, not 'in'.

2. a small piece of hardware that links one device to another when their plugs, por

2.nounB2
Definition

a small piece of hardware that links one device to another when their plugs, ports, or pipes do not match — for example a part that lets a USB-C cable plug into an older laptop, or that joins two pipes of different widths.

Example

Yuna bought a USB-C to HDMI adaptor so she could connect her tablet to the classroom projector.

adaptor for joining incompatible ports

The plumber fitted a brass adaptor between the new tap and the old copper pipe.

adaptor for pipes of different sizes

Common collocations
  • USB adaptor
  • HDMI adaptor
  • lens adaptor
  • pipe adaptor
  • use an adaptor
Synonyms
  • connector

    more general; any joining piece, not always solving an incompatibility

  • converter

    implies changing the signal or current, not just a mechanical fit

Grammar Patterns

adaptor for [device]

adaptor between A and B

Usage Note

Subject of the connection is usually two specific objects whose interfaces differ; the preposition 'for' introduces the target device, while 'between' names both sides.

Common Mistakes

an adaptor of USB-C and HDMI
an adaptor for USB-C to HDMI
use 'for' or 'to', not 'of', when naming the connection.

3. a writer who reworks an existing novel, play, or other written work — usually wi

3.nounC1
Definition

a writer who reworks an existing novel, play, or other written work — usually with only small changes to plot or dialogue — preparing the text for a new format such as the stage, screen, or radio.

Example

Nkechi was hired as the adaptor of the bestselling novel for the Royal Court stage.

adaptor of [work] for [venue]

A skilled adaptor knows which scenes from the book must be cut to fit a two-hour film.

general statement using 'a skilled adaptor'

Common collocations
  • adaptor of a novel
  • stage adaptor
  • screen adaptor
  • work as an adaptor
Synonyms
  • adapter

    same role; the more frequent spelling, especially in American English

  • screenwriter

    narrower — only when the new form is a film or TV script

Antonyms
  • author

    creates the original work rather than reshaping someone else's

Grammar Patterns

adaptor of [work]

Usage Note

Less common than 'adapter' in this sense; 'screenwriter' or 'playwright' is often used when the new form is specifically a film or stage play.

Common Mistakes

She is the adaptor of the film.
She is the adaptor of the novel for the film.
the adaptor reworks the source text, so name the original work, not the new format.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All three words name a small piece of hardware that joins two things, but they answer different questions. An adaptor solves an incompatibility — its job is to make a plug, port, or pipe fit something it would not otherwise fit, like a USB-C to HDMI adaptor. A connector is the more neutral, general word for any piece used to join two things; a cable is full of connectors at each end, even when both sides match perfectly. A converter goes one step further: it changes the signal, voltage, or format, not just the physical fit. So a travel adaptor only changes the plug shape, while a voltage converter actually changes 110 V to 220 V. Use 'adaptor' when shape mismatch is the problem, 'connector' when you simply need a joining part, and 'converter' when something about the signal itself must change.

adaptor ↗connector ↗converter ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • travel adaptor
  • plug adaptor
  • USB adaptor
  • HDMI adaptor
  • lens adaptor
  • pipe adaptor

Phrases

  • use an adaptor
  • need an adaptor
  • fit an adaptor
  • with the right adaptor

Prepositions

  • adaptor for
  • adaptor between
  • adaptor to
  • plug into an adaptor

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From the verb 'adapt' (to make something suitable for a new use) plus the agent suffix '-or', meaning 'one that does'. 'Adapt' itself reaches English through French from Latin 'adaptare', built from 'ad-' (to) and 'aptare' (to fit), from 'aptus' (fitting, suitable). The hardware sense for an electrical or mechanical fitting grew out of the older 'one who adapts' meaning in the early twentieth century, as homes filled with appliances that needed to be matched to one another. Both spellings 'adapter' and 'adaptor' have always coexisted; British English keeps 'adaptor' more often for the device, while American English prefers 'adapter' across all senses.