Adjusting Word Meaning

early 17th century (in the senses ‘harmonize discrepancies’ and ‘assess loss or damages’): from obsolete French adjuster, from Old French ajoster ‘to approximate’, based on Latin ad- ‘to’ + juxta ‘near’

alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result

alter/move

• he smoothed his hair and adjusted his tie
• a single control adjusts the water flow

assess (loss or damages) when settling an insurance claim

assess loss/damage

• the insurance agent may have the responsibility of adjusting small losses