adopt

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /əˈdɑpt/ UK /əˈdɒpt/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like adapt /æ/ vs /ɑ/

Freq #6780

Meanings

1

verb
To legally take another person's child into your family and raise it as your own.

They decided to adopt a baby girl from another country.
2

verb
To start using a particular method, idea, or way of doing things.

The company adopted a new approach to training its staff.
3

verb
To begin to have a particular attitude, manner, or appearance.

He adopted a more serious tone as the meeting went on.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to legally take another... take in

2 verb · to start using a particular... embracetake upfollow

3 verb · to begin to have a... take assume

Word family

Forms adoptingadopts

Derived forms adoptabilityadoptableadoptanceadoptaversaryadoptedlyadoptianismadoptiousadoptornonadoptednonadoptingpreadoptreadopt

Related forms adopteeadoption adoptive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

adopt a child
to legally take responsibility for and bring up a child not born to you

Verb + noun

Etymology

From Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad + optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- + opt.

adopter Middle French adoptō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# adopt

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈdɑpt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈdɒpt/
**Frequency rank:** 6780

## Meanings
1. To legally take another person's child into your family and raise it as your own.
2. To start using a particular method, idea, or way of doing things.
3. To begin to have a particular attitude, manner, or appearance.

## Examples
- They decided to adopt a baby girl from another country.
- The company adopted a new approach to training its staff.
- He adopted a more serious tone as the meeting went on.

## Derived Forms
- adoptability
- adoptable
- adoptance
- adoptaversary
- adoptedly
- adoptianism
- adoptious
- adoptor
- nonadopted
- nonadopting
- preadopt
- readopt

## Related Forms
- adoptee
- adoption
- adoptive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: adopter
- Root: adoptō

## Etymology
From Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad + optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- + opt.

## AI Etymology
Adopt is from Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad plus optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- plus opt. The formation is semantically transparent: the parts remain visible, while the compound or affix fixes the grammatical role and narrows the modern meaning. In use as a verb, adopt denotes to legally take another person's child into your family and raise it as your own, to start using a particular method, idea, or way of doing things, and to begin to have a particular attitude, manner, or appearance. The same word family continues in derived forms such as adoptability, adoptable, adoptance, and adoptaversary and related entries such as adoptee, adoption, and adoptive.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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