Definition of adopt
- adopted a moderate tone
- adopt a constitutional amendment
- adopt a highway
- couples choosing to adopt
They were unable to have children of their own, so they decided to adopt.
They decided to adopt a child.
He was adopted as an infant.
Did he adopt your point of view?
We adopted some of the local customs.
The author Samuel Clemens adopted the name “Mark Twain.”
He was born in England but he has adopted Canada as his home.
The assembly adopted a new constitution.
The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Senate.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adopt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use: 15th centurySee Words from the same year
: to take a child of other parents legally as your own child
: to begin to use or have (a different manner, method, etc.)
: to begin to use (a name that is not your real or original name)
What made you want to look up adopt? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.TAKE THE QUIZ